From Our Kitchen to Yours: Moreau Family Crèpes

Now, I may not be as famous as Julia Child and I'm certainly not as popular as Julie Powell and her blog about working through Child's cookbook, and there's no real chance that I'll be able to parlay this blog into a feature-length movie where I'm portrayed by Amy Adams (that'd be somethin'), but I do have a family recipe to share.  Growing up in a Franco-American family (my mom's side), my grandmother (or Mèmère, as we called her) Normande Moreau used to make home-made crèpes for me almost every day of the week.  It certainly didn't help me keep a slim figure growing up, but I will always remember those days in her kitchen/dining room, waiting for a plate of crèpes and syrup.

Since I moved in with Katelyn shortly after getting engaged, I have been trying to be an equal contributor since she has the "bread-winning" job and I'm doing a job that, while it helps me build my résumé, does not provide the kind of income I would like.  One of my contributions has come in the form of introducing Katelyn to these crèpes, which have now replaced pancakes on her list of favorite breakfast-y foods.  Join us in our kitchen for the evening as we make "Moreau Family Crèpes" together.

I would like to dispell any myths right away; this is not a recipe that was handed down from my grandmother.  She didn't really pass along much of a culinary inheritance, so the ingredients and cooking instructions come from a standard Betty Crocker cookbook. 

That said, Katelyn and I have put our own spin on the recipe to produce a perfect serving of crèpes for two people.  Each person will get four crèpes to themselves, which is typically more than enough for a meal.  We typically cook six slices of bacon (three for each of us) as a side to have a meat component when we make crèpes.  I have included the original ingredient list as well in case you're cooking for more than two people.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour -- Original recipe: 1 1/2 cups
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder -- Original recipe: 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon salt -- Original recipe: 1/2 teaspoon
1 cup milk -- Original recipe: 2 cups
1 egg -- Original recipe: 2 eggs
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted -- Original recipe: 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

The Groom's Take Note: It is important to note that you'll probably want to have as pure a form of vanilla as you can get your hands on.  If you try to use vanilla extract or some other form of artificial vanilla, it won't work as well.  Katelyn has some tasty vanilla that her family got from Mexico, and it really adds flavor to the crèpes.

Directions:
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients (milk, egg, margarine/butter, vanilla). Beat with hand beater until smooth. Lightly butter 6 to 8 inch skillet; heat over medium heat until bubbly. Pour scant 1/4 cup of the batter into skillet; immediately rotate skillet until thin film covers bottom.

The Groom's Take Note: Though a 1/4 cup of batter may look small when you pour it into the skillet, you really only need that much to make a good crèpe.  Just be sure to rotate the skillet so that the entire bottom surface is coated.  If, for some reason, you want to make thicker crèpes, you can use a 1/2 cup of batter or just experiment until you find what works for you.

Cook until light brown. Run wide spatula around edges to loosen; turn and cook other side until light brown.

Katelyn and I love maple syrup, so we usually warm up about 1/3 cup of maple syrup in a glass container in the microwave to pour on the crèpes.  You could also experiment with other syrups or by using fresh fruits such as blueberries or strawberries.  The crèpes are very pliable, so you can easily wrap them around a filling of fruit and have a fast and easy dessert option.

I hope you've enjoyed this little taste (ugh, pun-ny, I know) of my family's culinary background.  If you have any questions, suggestions, or stories of your own experience in trying to make these at home, feel free to share in the comments section!