The first time I ever ate a crêpe was on my honeymoon two years ago in St. Martin.  The Hubs and I were lucky enough to have been given the use of a bridesmaid’s timeshare as a wedding gift (Thank you RG!) and we quickly fell in love with the island’s food, white sand beaches, turquoise waters and food.  Did I mention the food?  St. Martin is a small, 34 square mile, Caribbean island which is divided into two countries.  The island is about 60/40 French and Dutch, so as you can imagine, the food is interestingly influenced between the two cultures.  Pepper in the local Indian Caribbean cuisine paired with daily caught fresh seafood, and, oh man, you’ve got a very happy belly.  It’s official; our flight is scheduled, our condo is booked, and I absolutely cannot wait to return to St. Martin next month!

The local woman who made our (outdoor!) St. Martin crêpes had a special crêpe griddle which is about two times the size of my largest non-stick pan.

Since I do not have a fancy crêpe griddle or a wooden crêpe spreader, I had to settle for my non-stick pan, swirling-twirling wrist action and a plain old spatula.  Lo, my first attempt with crêpes turned out to be a smashing success!  Who knew making crêpes could be so easy!?  This recipe goes great for whatever you decide to stuff your crêpes with; sweet or savory.  I opted for savory on this chilly November morning.  (Who am I kidding, I’d opt for savory if it was 100 degrees outside!)  I followed a recipe out of Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom cookbook and then added my own savory elements, ie. turkey bacon, mozzarella, chives and egg.  The crêpes turned out crisp, yet flexible, and using the technique I garnered on the island, I folded my sides up to keep the ingredients in and, voilà!  Savory crêpe perfection!  Let’s get it started…  One last photo of our favorite St. Martin sunbathing beer.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Next, gather up your crêpe ingredients, flour, milk, water, eggs, salt and melted butter and put them all in a blender.  Wizz it up until all is combined.  Place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.  So far, so simple, right?  Next, you should cook your turkey bacon, real bacon, scrambled eggs, or ready your sweet elements.  Nutella and fruit?  Jam?  Or just powdered sugar?  Whatever you like, it’s like a thin, yet pliable omelette, please stuff it with what makes you happy!

When you are ready to make the crêpes, put a little butter into your non-stick pan and swirl it around.  This part was always so intimidating to me.  I poured about 1/4 of a cup to 1/3 of a cup of the batter into the pan. Start with less first and then add more if you need to do so.

Now quickly swirl, swirl, swirl until the bottom of your pan is completely covered!

The first crêpe you make will be bad.  It’s the laws of crêperie physics.  So get the bad one out of the way and then your second crêpe will be perfect.  You’ll know it’s ready to flip when the edges get browned, crusty and lacy.  I would give it 2-3 minutes over medium heat.  Check it, and once it’s browned to your liking, flip and cook for just a minute more.

Stack the crêpes on a plate and they will remain pliable.  This recipe made about 10 crêpes using a 11″ diameter sized pan.  Now for the fun part!  Take one of your cooked crêpes and put it on a baking sheet.  In the center, place two chopped pieces of turkey bacon with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (or half a palmful, but I have small palms!) and make a well in the middle of your chopped bacon and cheese.  This is where you’ll crack your egg!  Carefully crack your egg in the center of the well.

Next salt & pepper your egg to your liking, throw some chives in there, whatever you like, it’s YOUR crêpe!  Start folding the sides up, so your egg stays in place.

 

continue until all four sides are folded up to the yolk of your egg.

Next, place your crêpe into the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the egg white is set.  Garnish with chives and more crumbled turkey bacon.  The yolk should be runny and delicious!

Crêpes