Some of my fondest food memories are of savoring Crêpes Suzette being flamed at the table at a wonderful French restaurant. I enjoyed the elegance of the set up: the lightly cooked crêpes, the butter, the fresh orange juice, the orange zest, the sugar and the orange liqueur all lined up on a linen cloth. The waiter would deftly melt the butter in the pan, heat up the crêpes, add the remaining ingredients, fold them in quarters, douse them with liqueur and flame them with a match. The ceremony and the amazing aroma that perfumed the table was only surpassed by the taste.
Butter makes everything better but I don’t use butter in a dessert for a meat meal. In this recipe, I make my crêpes with soy milk and water; and then cook them in coconut oil. The coconut oil is so light that you really can’t taste it at all. What you have is a very light and pliable crêpe that you can use for both savory and sweet fillings. They can be made in advance and frozen with waxed paper between them; so that you always have them on hand for last minute company. Fill them with sautéed vegetables, shredded meat or with cooked fruit. Any way you choose will be a hit!
Hint: Using a pan with a heat resistant handle is helpful. If you don’t have one, be sure to use a pot holder when swirling the batter and slipping out the crêpes. The pan handle gets really hot!
Prep time: 30 minutes
All-Purpose Crêpes
By Published: September 7, 2016
Yield:
- 12 crêpes
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup non dairy soy mik unsweetened and unflavored
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cake flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Equipment
- electric blender or whisk and bowl
- fine strainer
- medium mixing bowl
- crêpe pan any pan with about 5 1/2 inch flat center and sloping edge
- flexible spatula
- plate to hold crepes
- 12 squares of waxed paper to place between crêpes
Directions
- Place eggs in bowl of blender. Beat on slow speed til mixed. Add water, soy milk and salt. Beat on low speed til incorporated with eggs. Add flour slowly while blender is on low speed. Beat until the mixture is smooth. Sometimes, small lumps remain. In that case, pour the batter through the fine strainer into a mixing bowl. You will have two cups of batter. Chill for 30 minutes before making crêpes.
- To make crêpes: Brush the pan with coconut oil. Heat over medium flame until a drop of water bounces on it. Pour a scant 1/4 cup (about 1.3 ounces) of batter into the hot pan and swirl it around until a solid circle is formed. You may feel clumsy with the first few; but after that you develop a rhythm and it goes quickly. I'm right handed; so I pour the batter in with my left hand and swirl it around with my right. Cook the crêpe until it starts to bubble in the center and come away from the edges of the pan. It will not brown as much as it would if you were using butter. Carefully, flip the crêpe with the spatula and cook it for another minute on the other side. Turn the pan on a slant and slip the crêpe on to a plate. Let it cool a minute or two while you're making the next one before you cover it with a sheet of waxed paper. Repeat this process until all the batter is used. Fill the crêpes and use them immediately or let them cool before wrapping and refrigerating them for a day or two. You can freeze them for several months. Defrost completely before using them.
