No, I haven't knowingly met any Fodorites (as yet)..

>>I used to think of "French" crepes as filled with something like shredded chicken and cheese, then drizzeled with a white sauce. Does one not see that kind of crepe anymore?


Yes, these things are called "crêpes" as well, and as clairobscur says, it is found only in the frozen food section, subsection "things children will eat when you run out of ideas". However, the white sauce is on the inside with the other ingredients. Cutting the crêpe and watching the sauce bleed out is probably what interests children more than actually eating them.

Getting started with crepes. Load the blender; in order, 2 eggs (any size), 2 T melted butter (cooled), 1 1/3 cup of milk (try different %s), 1 cup flour( start with ordinary flour, 1/2 t salt and 1 T sugar (optional). Mix for 30 seconds then scrape down the blender insides and mix again for five seconds. This system precludes overnight refrigeration. Heat a 6 inch heavy duty frying pan, oil with a bit of cooking oil. Pour in 1/4 cup of crepe batter. Rotate pan to fill the bottom. Use a pot holder or mitten as handle will be hot. Let bubbles form on top of crepe..Flip crepe and cook a few minutes. I use a plastic spatula.Check the bottom for browning. Adjust the temperature as required. Your first crepe may not be good. The second will. Recipe makes 8-9 crepes. Stack each one atop the last one. Cover with aluminum foil. Crepes can be filled with anything you like! Put crepe best side down on a plate, spread filling over it, roll it up. Serve. Top rolled crepe with butter or powdered sugar...use your imagination.

Okay, I was just wondering if you were in the Dallas area and/or near any "La Madeliene" restaurants. They have introduced a new crepe line - both savory and sweet. We had some last weekend. They were pretty good and the Strawberries Romanof Crepe was to die for; perhaps not authentic, but oh so good.

GSteed, that is a fabulous recipe! Now all I need is the 6" heavy duty frying pan (do you mean like a cast-iron skillet?). Thank you!

I at at a "La Madeleine" cafe in New Orleans for lunch a couple of times, but that was a few years ago... there aren't any in Jax...
I actually don't want to eat certain things here in the States that are reflective of my Paris experiences. I never order croissants, rarely seek out French cooking.. hubby avoids moules because they 'won't be the same'...

All-Clad and Le Creuset both make really nice crepe pans. You can also get steel crepe pans at Williams-Sonoma.

Travelnut, about moules (perhaps not appropriate on a crêpe thread, so excuse me) -- I must confess that I bought quite a few packages of frozen mussels at the local Wal-Mart Supercenter in Florida when I was visiting my parents (imported from Chile or something), and I managed to prepare quite fine moules marinière, moules à la crème, moules forestière, etc., so you can surprise your husband with a treat one day, if you want.

You guys are missing something... I don't cook much at all, I "fix" (as my hubby calls it) meals. Maybe some day, though... just not interested in cooking by the time I get home from work.

Two glasses of white wine, a chopped stalk of celery, some sprigs of parsley, salt and pepper... and a bag of mussels. Preparation: 10 minutes. Cooking: 5 minutes.
Easier than frying eggs.

Some comments :

- Regarding the recipe given by a poster : it's the first time I see butter mentionned as an ingredient for crepes. I would give it a pass. Normally, one doesn't use just milk, but half milk, half water. Finally, the drift/pastry must normally be left to rest for a couple hours before cooking the crepes. Also, you can add a little beer for lighter crepes. And one shouldn't use a lot of oil/butter to cook them. Just put the oil/butter on a piece of paper and rub the pan with it between each crepe.

- Advanced course : the crepe must be flipped by first moving the pan back and forth so it won't stay attached to it (when one side is properly cooked, it doesn't anymore) then jerking it so that the crepe will "jump", flip in mid-air, and neatly fall back flat in the pan on the other side (alternatively : in a ball in the middle of the pan, flat on your head, etc...). A good training is particularily important for the Chandeleur day, when crepes are traditionnally eaten, since, in order to get money all year long, one must suceed in flipping a crepe this way while holding a gold coin in one's hand.

-Galettes originally existed in many places outside Brittany. Essentially in any area where it was more produtive to grow buckwheat than cereals. They became famous in Britanny, while the custom of making them died out in other regions, for some reason. When I was a kid in Limousin (the area east of the Dordogne), older relatives still prepared a weekly batch of "tourtous" (exactly the same thing as galettes) that they used mostly like they would have used bread (they didn't fill them with various foodstuff). I've occasionnally seen them in local restaurants since, but very rarely so.

Correction : when I said "it's the first time I see butter mentionned as a indredient", I forgot to add that I would use oil instead.

clairobscur, thanks for the cooking tips on these crêpes!

Thanks to each of you for responding... hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did.

All this talk of crepes reminds me of an old Frasier episode. Frasier asked Niles about seasoning his pans. Niles responded, "Crepe pans in summer, sauce pans in fall. When winter's upon us, there's food for us all."

Johanna

Hi Travelnut, may I tease you? Everytime I see the title of this thread I read it as "Teach me about creeps" LOL!!!

Please, there are many recipes for crepes and fillings. The basic recipe can be altered in infinite ways; either by design or by accident. Mixing with a blender obviates the usual wait or aging time. I use a Le Creuset pan but any heavy steel pan will suffice. Flipping may be a problem and dangerous. morning use a plastic spatula. Experiment! Enjoy!

GSteed : you're right, I checked it, and many recipes mention butter isntead of oil.

As for using a blender instad of waiting : maybe you're right. I don't even own a blender, so I wouldn't know, though I'm not sure why it would obviate the need to wait.

All the crepes I had in Brittany were made with butter.