Episode 68
September 18, 2011
Chocolate Eclair Crepes
Time for another breakfast episode! Granted this time I took a little bit of a liberty and made it more of a dessert rather than a breakfast item but crepes are versatile in that way. Crepes work really well with just about any food – savory or sweet! If you don’t already make crepes regularly you really should consider it. Working crepes into your routine is a great way to shake up your meal rotation and is great way to get all of your family members involved.
I didn’t discover crepes until after I was in college but I immediately fell in love. Even the whole crepe sub-culture is really cool. All those really tasty crepe places are always hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are nothing more than a window and a guy popping out crepes. Though I’m not well traveled, I always feel so European eating a crepe while dining al fresco. Crepes are indeed dream-like.
Now that's a beautiful looking crepe!
The secret to making great crepes is to have a pretty fluid batter and to have a well greased pan – non-stick if you have it. Really authentic crepes are very very thin and delicate so they can tear very easily even if they stick just a little bit. However, if you’re having a little trouble making them super thin don’t hesitate to make them a little thicker (I do). If you get all kinds of frustrated while trying to make the crepes as thin as possible then it won’t be a fun process. Learning to love crepes, and all desserts in general, is like taking baby steps. Always make sure you’re enjoying what you’re making as you’re making it otherwise you’ll never want to do it again!
In this episode I decide to go with chocolate eclair crepes by using a thinner pastry cream recipe (I take out about half of the cornstarch) to make a more saucy pastry cream and I top it off with chocolate ganache. A dinner variation, a recipe I got from Rachael Ray magazine, is called sausage crepesadillas. Brown some sweet italian sausage with red onion and chopped mushrooms. Place some of the sausage mixture on a flat open crepe, add in healthy amount of shredded cheese and cilantro. Top with another crepe and bake a 375 degrees F until the cheese has melted. Serve with a homemade salsa: blend in food processor: tomatoes, jalapeno onions, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and zest, salt, and pepper. So delicious and easy! Definitely one of my favorite dinners to make. The best part is that you don’t have to change the crepe recipe at all to switch it to a savory dish!
Another really popular variation that I completely forgot to mention in the video is crepes suzette! Traditionally, crepes suzette is made by taking Grand Marnier mixed with sugar and poured over a fresh crepe. The alcohol is set on fire to burn off the alcohol, caramelize the sugar, and make a big wow effect. A safer and easier version is to make a thick simple syrup or caramel sauce and then stir in orange or lemon zest, butter, and a little Grand Marnier.
Here’s the crepe recipe which includes the variations I mentioned in this post and here’s the vanilla pastry cream sauce recipe which you’ll need to make the chocolate eclair variation. The video is below! Thank you for watching!
