Perfect as after dinner, they can also be a delicious snack for the little ones
The sweet crêpes, or crepes, they are an ancient recipe: legend has it that they were born in the fifth century, when Pope Gelasius, to feed a large number of French pilgrims who arrived in Rome, had the Vatican cooks put together a considerable amount of eggs and flour. Everything would be cooked on hot plates giving life to the first rudimentary crêpes. The name instead derives from the Latin “crispus”, which means curled or wavy. The crepe would also be linked to the Candlemas festival, which is celebrated on February 2, when, according to tradition, every time the crepe was turned over in the pan, a wish could be made.
How crêpes are made
For 20-25 crêpes you will need: 200 g of 00 flour, 500 ml of fresh milk, 3 eggs, a pinch of fine salt, the zest of an untreated lemon, 40 g of butter. In a bowl, work the eggs with a whisk. Gradually add the sifted flour, lemon zest (optional), salt and milk, until you get a smooth and homogeneous batter. Let it rest, covered, in a cool place for 1 hour. Then heat an iron or non-stick pan, brush it with a little melted butter (or oil), pour a small amount of batter and swirl the pan quickly so that it spreads evenly on the bottom, forming a thin veil. Cook for two minutes and then, with the help of a spatula, turn the crepe and cook for another two minutes. Once ready, place them on a plate to cool before stuffing them.
Nutella or jam: indulge yourself in stuffing them
The crêpes are very good with every ingredient, they go perfectly with fruit, they can be served simply with icing sugar, with Nutella, with honey and chopped hazelnuts or even with bananas sautéed in butter and coconut flakes. For a richer dish, you can stuff them with custard, strawberries and whipped cream. If you love chocolate, instead of Nutella you can spread some custard to which you have added dark chocolate and chopped pistachios. An irresistible version includes mascarpone cream and crumbled marron glacè or ricotta, icing sugar and Kirsch liqueur. For a very French flavor, you can flame the crepe with a dash of Calvados liqueur and fill it with caramelized apple wedges.
The crepe suzette
For a more decisive taste you can prepare crêpes suzette, a Monegasque invention by an apprentice chef named Henry Charpentier, who, at the Cafè de Paris in Montecarlo, preparing a crepe for Edward VIII, Prince of Wales, taken by emotion he made liquor falling on the crepe which ignited in contact with the fire In order not to keep the prince waiting, the young man tasted it and finding it very good served it to Edward VIII who even asked for an encore. To make it follow the traditional recipe and then prepare a sauce like this: grate the zest of 3 oranges, squeeze the juice and filter it. Also grate the zest of 1 lemon, squeeze the juice and filter it through a sieve. Put 80 g of butter in a steel pan with 130 g of sugar and melt them over low heat. Add the citrus sauce, the crêpes and cook for a few seconds. In another saucepan, heat 150 ml of Grand Marnier liqueur, pour it over the crêpes and set the mixture on fire for a few minutes, to obtain perfect flambé crêpes. To turn off the fire, just put a lid on the pan.
