No-Fail French Crêpes
From Desperation Dinners (Canada, UK), by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross.
From Alicia: In high school and college, in every French class I
ever took, we always cooked crêpes on "culture
day." They sound elegant, and they are, but elegant
doesn't have to mean difficult to do. After all, high
school students can do it. (The trick to these no-fail
crêpes is the baking mix, which produces a smooth,
even batter that is more forgiving than a classic
recipe.)
For weeks after this indulgent lesson, I would satisfy
my craving by making dozens of crêpes with every
conceivable filling. You can get as complicated as
stewing your own fruits, or keep things quick and
simple (as we have here) with jam and whipped
cream. Be sure to buy seedless, all-fruit jam, of any
flavor that suits, and a squirt can with real (not
nondairy) cream. Beverly likes to finish her crêpes
off with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
Ingredients:
1 large egg
1-1/4 cups skim or low-fat milk
3/4 cup plus1 Tbsp reduced-fat biscuit or baking mix, such as Bisquick
2 Tbsp butter, as needed
2/3 cup seedless, fruit-only raspberry jam
Real whipped light cream in an aerosol can
Instructions:
Turn on an electric griddle to 350°F (175°C) F. Or begin
heating a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat.
Whisk the egg in a 2-quart or larger bowl. Whisk
in the milk. Add the biscuit mix and whisk until there
are few lumps. The batter will be thin. Butter the
griddle, using about 1-1/2 tsp of the butter.
Cook 2 crêpes at once by pouring the batter by
scant 1/4-cup-fulls onto the hot griddle. Cook on the
first side until the crêpes begin to set and tiny
bubbles appear on the surface, about 1 minute. Turn
and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove the
crêpes to a plate. Repeat, buttering the griddle as
needed, until all the batter is used.
While the crêpes cook, measure out the jam into
a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Assemble the crêpes: Spread 1 Tbsp jam
over one side of each crêpe. Squirt a generous
amount of whipped cream over the jam. Starting at
that edge, gently roll up the crêpe. Garnish each with
about
1 tsp of the remaining jam and a dollop
of cream. Serve at once.
Yield: Makes about 8 crêpes; serves 4