Crêpes with Microwave Jam

Having a full and decent breakfast without rushing out the door first thing in the morning is such a luxury. I want more days like that. Vacation days, perhaps? Having crepes for breakfast is another luxury item that I don’t seem to get enough of. With some reshuffling of priorities and some practice in making those light and velvety crepes, we could be in for the real treats, hopefully, for my family and myself. This game plan would surely get me started on the right foot early in the day.

Other IHCC’s home cooks are making similar breakfast dishes this week to fuel your body and get you going for the day. Please check here for details.

I have been eyeing the crepe recipes for quite sometime. There are a few delicious ones in Pepin’s cookbooks. Pepin said his mother made crepes for his brother and him, usually with homemade jam. Now he prepares the same treat for his daughter and granddaughter for breakfast. How delightful! All the more reasons to make crepes.

There are some remarkable tips in Essential Pepin which caught my attention. Whether I could follow and repeat these recipes and make company-worthy crepes, consistently and in good form, is another story.

Microwave blackberry jam

“When making crepes, the quantity of liquid in the batter can be changed to make the crepes thicker or thinner. Milk or a mixture of milk and water is usually used, but some recipes use cream or even beer. The number of eggs varies from recipe to recipe as well. Cream and extra egg yolks make a crepe that is tender and soft but difficult to turn. The more water and less fat, the more the batter is like a bread dough, making a crepe that’s stronger and more elastic.”

 “Crepes can be made ahead and stacked, then reheated… They can also be frozen.”

These are morsels of wisdom and technique I wish I had. My daughter was the first one in my family who brought crepe making in our kitchen several years ago. She went to summer camp for kids’ chefs and came home all excited about the crepes she’d made. We tried to make crepes a few times thereafter but nothing matched the initial excitement and texture of the crepes that so captured her imagination.

Now this is crepe-take-two with more promising results. To go with the crepes, I made a blackberry jam by microwaving fresh blackberries for about 10 minutes. It was faster than running to the store to get berry jam which just ran out.

Crepes with homemade jam. A breakfast as luxurious as it is sustaining.

50% scaling makes 4-6 crepes

200% scaling doubles the recipe