The process:
I used Chef John's recipe, but Alton Brown's technique of making them in the blender. It all came together beautifully. I also used my good 12 inch non-stick pan and a nylon spatula. My heat setting on the stove was just a hair hotter than medium, any cooler and they'd get too fragile before showing any browning. My first crepe was a bust - it fell apart when I flipped it (the heat was too low) but the other 15 turned out great!
So. A bit time consuming, but really not all that difficult. Just takes a little patience. And repeated applications of butter or non-stick spray to the skillet (for me, that was about every other or every third crepe.)
Looked lovely, tasted kinda bland. Maybe there was - gasp! - too much broccoli. I dunno. But the crepes turned out great, just not sure about the chicken cheesy broccoli stuff.
I never let my crepe batter sit in the oven and they turn out fine. I also never add oil to the pan after the first crepe is made. One key to not needing to add more oil is to make sure to let the pan heat up to the right temperature in between making the crepes. Toss a few drops of water on the pan. If they "dance", it's hot enough. It's also unusual to make them in a pan that large because it's kind of unweildy to maneuver the batter to cover the pan before it starts cooking. 6-8-inch crepes are the most common sizes usually made. And the first one almost never turns out as well as the rest, even if you've been making crepes for something like 20 years, like I have. (Man, doing that math makes me feel old. ;) )
ReplyDeleteI'll try letting it heat up some more between crepes. I didn't want to go out and buy a new pan just to make crepes in - my smaller skillets are too old and dinged up to be 'crepe worthy' smooth, but if I start making them routinely, I'll get a good yet smaller pan. :)
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