Crepes

This sweet treat was the traditional breakfast to accompany the Sunday morning session of world-wide General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or “pajama church” as Mom called it. When everyone was home, I quadrupled this recipe to make a half gallon of batter. It made barely enough crepes, and I always ruined the first couple before I got the hang of it again. The number of crepes this recipe makes depends on the size of your skillet! This recipe comes from our beat-up first edition copy of Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book, published in 1950, which we acquired in a second-hand bookstore in Lakeport, California, in 1988.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

2 Tbl butter

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Extra butter for frying

Preparation:

·         Cut the butter into cubes. Add the butter to the milk and warm the milk, either in a sauce pan or in the microwave, just until the butter melts.

·         Beat the eggs, and whisk them into the milk.

·         Mix together the dry ingredients, and then gradually add them to the milk, to make a thin batter. You may have to stir quite a bit to get the lumps out. (I give it an additional stir just before pouring the next crepe.)

·         Heat a skillet to medium. You will adjust according to the skillet and your stovetop, and you will come to appreciate that there is a sweet spot for getting the crepes to come out just right. Butter the skillet* (a frozen stick of butter works best) and pour in enough batter to cover about a third of the surface. Tilt the skillet around to spread batter all over the bottom of the skillet.

·         Cook the crepe until there is a little curl to the edges and the top begins to dry. Flip the crepe and let that side cook for a few seconds—listen for the sizzle to die down or for it to stop steaming.

 

Filling Options:

·         Fresh fruit (banana, peach, berries)

·         Jams and jellies

·         Nutella

·         Powdered sugar

·         Whipped cream

*After the first couple of crepes, I just butter the bottom rim of the skillet or wherever the crepes have a tendency to stick.