Incredible Crepes

These truly are incredible crepes. There is no original recipe to these crepes as it comes from memories of making the Croatian version called palacinke with family growing up. The only adaptation I make in my recipe is using olive oil instead of vegetable oil in an effort to cut out harmful oils from my diet, even when I want a treat. The result is an incredibly tender and rich crepe, ready to be topped with whatever topping you enjoy, or eaten plain hot off the griddle.

Incredible Crepes

Yield: +- 15 ( I can never keep track as they get eaten faster than I can count)

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

• 2 cups milk

• 1/3 cup water

• 1/4 cup olive oil*

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 stick butter for cooking, cold and paper still on the butter.

Instructions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs and sugar until well mixed, about 1 min. You do not want to whip air into the eggs and sugar, you just want to ensure they are well combined and there are no egg streaks.

2. Beginning with flour, alternately add the flour and milk 1.2 cup at a time, whisking thoroughly between each addition of either flour or milk. You will end with milk.

3. Add 1/3 cup water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir to combine and set aside.

4. Heat an 8 or 9 inch skillet to medium high. You want your skillet very hot, but not smoking.

5. When your skillet is hot, peel back a corner of the butter and wipe the butter over the bottom of the skillet to coat it lightly. Using a 1/3 cup measure, scoop up some batter and add it to the skillet. Immediately tip the sides of the skillet in a circular fashion in order to coat the bottom of the pan with the batter. It is okay if the batter slides along the bottom of the pan because of the butter, just keep swirling by tipping the pan until your batter is evenly spread.

6. Once you see browning along the edges of the batter, about 30-45 seconds later, it is time to flip. Using a fork or small, thin spatula, lift up a side of the crepe and wiggle the spatula towards the center of the crepe and flip it. I usually just grab an edge of the crepe with my fingers, pick it up, and flip it, but be careful not to burn yourself if you choose to flip your crepes this way. Cook for another 15-20 seconds and flip the crepe onto a serving dish. Continue until your batter is gone, buttering the pan between each crepe. (Your first two crepes will most likely be terrible, just trust the process and keep going.)

7. You can enjoy crepes plain or with any topping you choose. Popular toppings are powdered sugar, jam, or Nutella. I enjoy mine with a spread of plum jam and rolled up like a cigar.

Notes:

* I recommend using olive oil with this crepe recipe, as these crepes contain a richness that can only be achieved using olive oil since the other ingredients are so simple. You may use light olive oil for olive oil. Other oils will work, but if you want truly incredible crepes, use olive oil. However, please do not use your fancy olive oil, just your regular olive oil you use when cooking.

Have I mentioned olive oil enough? ....olive oil.

I make these crepes every Tuesday and it is something we always look forward to enjoying. Let me know if you have tried these crepes and what you enjoy filling them with!

Enjoy!

Mary