Valentines Day

Saucyman, Is there a food that I can cook for Valentines Day for my sweetie that might impress her?

Most people would counsel chocolate, but I am going to recommend crepes (they aren't mutually exclusive).

There are two really essential things to know about crepes-

1. Their mere presence really impresses. Really, really impresses.
2. They are really easy to make. Really easy.

Pronounced, krāp (cr-Ehp as in yep), the alternative vocalization of Crey-P, will pass muster with the public, who will still know what you are talking about.

The great Julia Child described crepes as French pancakes in her break through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, not to contradict the godmother of the modern cookery but I always find it more helpful to think of crepes as little omelets: They contain no leavening, can be stuffed with almost anything and like an omelet, require a little more care than the abusable starchy pancake.

Crepes are versatile, savory or sweet sweet and not just for breakfast. The little packets of goodness can contain chocolate and/or strawberries as easily as ham and Gruyere cheese. Along with their ability to be stuffed with anything, crepes or crespelle as the Italians like to say, are mightily adaptable - substituting for fresh pasta in baked manicotti or easily used for blintzes.

Pour crepe batter over cherries and bake to create the fun to say and delicious to eat, clafoutis. (Take care pronouncing this word properly – Cla-foo-tee, pronouncing each consonant produces a word that sounds like it needs treated with antibiotics from the free clinic instead of a casual summer dessert it is.)

So if crepes are all that, why haven’t they reached near ubiquity in the home or at least found on the menu boards popular franchising schemes? Their mastery requires practice and the final product is far better when cooked at a low temperature. The combination of patience, practice and planning is the death knell for the crepe. Even if crepe making requires a bit of an initial investment, I am still sticking with my statement that crepes are easy, really easy to make.

This recipe, adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s masterwork, The Cake Bible, substitutes cornstarch for flour. This gluten-free variation eliminates 45-minute resting period for the batter and as a bonus allows you to offer food to those suffering celiac disease and those who avoid flour for more or less self-diagnosed reasons.

Special crepe pans aren’t necessary a 6-inch non-stick or cast iron (egg) pan will probably yield the best results. Some cooks are able to pour batter straight on to a griddle and make delicate crepes, but pans are a good starting point.

Important Tips –

1. Low heat. Using the two smallest burners, the temperature should be dialed in halfway between off and high. Allow the pans about 5 minutes to warm up. You are ready to crepe it up when butter melts slowly in the pan neither sizzling nor browning.
2. Pouring batter. Use a liquid measuring cup like a completely unfancy pyrex model. Pick the handle of the pan up, try to angle the pan so the batter will flow downhill– pour batter, gently shake pan back and forth and left to right. Return pan to stovetop burner and back fill any holes with batter.
3. No such thing as too much butter. Most methods call for clarified butter carefully brushed into the pan. Whole butter works equally as well and aids in the caramelization of the crepe. Butter prevents the batter from sticking to the pan, which makes for easier flipping and a prettier result. More butter is better than less, dab excess butter away with a paper towel.
4. Flipping. The crepe is ready to flip when the batter separates from the side of the pan. Fingers, spatulas, fancy mid-air ‘Look ma, no hands’ turns can all work. For those who use fingers, keep a glass of ice water nearby to stop the burning.
5. What is the hurry? High heat doesn’t expedite cooking times, it only changes the end result. A hotter burner is only going to make a brittle, dry crepe not make crepes more quickly. With two pans, it should take about 15 to 20 minutes to cook the batter. Listen to a podcast, wash dishes between flips, just make the time commitment.
6. Stack crepes on a plate as they complete cooking, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between each crepe. (Make extras and freeze them in a Ziploc bag).

This recipe below omits both vanilla and the orange scented Grand Mariner brandy so the crepes can be used for both sweet and savory dishes.

24 - 6 inch crepes
3 eggs
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
¾ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
a pinch of salt

Extra butter for pans.

Combine ingredients in a food processor, blender or Luddites may whisk in bowl. Preheat pans, add enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan and follow guidelines above.

Stuff with, well stuff. Valentines day, melted chocolate works well.