Crepe (the French word for pancake) is a paper-thin pancake which is quite different from the fluffy, American-style pancake shown below!

My videos on making American style Chocolate Chip Pancakes and paper-thin Crepes with a Nutella filling will show you step-by-step instructions for making perfect crepes and pancakes!

Crepe making with a 9-inch crepe pan

In this post I'll be covering four crepe topics:

A. 10 Tips on Making Great Crepes

B. Crepe Making in Denmark

C. Fillings for Crepes

D. Basic Crepe Recipe

A. 10 Tips on Making Great Crepes

1. The batter should be smooth as silk – a blender works best for mixing the batter.

2. It is essential for a crepe batter to “rest” (in the refrigerator) for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days before you actually start making the crepes. (Otherwise they will be rubbery)

3. When you take it out of the refrigerator, let the batter sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting to make the crepes.

4. If batter is too thick add a bit more milk.

5. A special crepe pan is not essential.

6. A non-stick pan is essential – for beginners.

7. Be sure the pan is sizzling hot before you add the crepe batter.

8. The first couple of crepes you cook will not come out very well- toss them out and I promise you that - by the third crepe - they will be perfect.

9. Crepes can be kept warm in a 200 F. degree oven until ready to serve.

10. Store crepes between pieces of wax paper, then in a zip-lock bag for days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer

B. Crepe Making in Denmark

While traveling this past summer in Denmark, David and I were in the charming town of Ebeltoft when we came across this small café where they were making crepes in their courtyard. This crepe maker has surely perfected the technique:

Pouring the Batter

Swirling the batter with a wooden spreader….

…over the entire surface of this huge, round, griddle type crepe pan.

Once the pancake got flipped (which I totally missed!), bacon and chicken got added…

…then some lettuce. (Notice how they kept their huge jar of Nutella warm on the side of the gill.)

They used a giant crepe spatula to fold up this savory crepe.

Crepes can be made with a sweet or savory filling in "rustic" cafes or by street vendors...

or made by famous chefs in really fancy restaurants…

With a bit of practice you too can make perfect crepes!

C. Fillings for Crepes

Once the crepes are made, what you put into them is entirely up to you! Once the filling is added, the crepes can be rolled or folded as I did in my Nutella Crepe video. Adding some sliced banana or strawberries makes for a great flavor combination to the Nutella.

Spreading Peanut butter instead of Nutella is another option!

Spreading your favorite jam on a crepe is a really easy filling that requires literally no preparation.

Adding a sprinkle of sugar and some lemon juice is another very simple filling that is really delicious.

You can never go wrong with just a drizzle of maple syrup on warm crepes!

Closet Cooking has done quite a few great crepe recipes. Here is a recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Crepes that looks really tempting. You will have to know how to whip some cream for this recipe.

Kevin's savory Asparagus Crepes with a Mushroom Dill Sauce might be a bit of a stretch for beginners but certainly looks like it would be worth the effort.

The Food Network has over 200 crepe recipes! Some are clearly much more advanced than others. Their "Difficulty Ratings" are a bit inconsistent so be sure to read the recipe carefully before you begin!

One very famous crepe recipe is Crepe Suzette. It is a crepe that is served with a warm sauce made up of orange and lemon juice and zest, sugar, Grand Marnier (or Contreau or randy) and butter. In fancy restaurants the sauce is usually made right at your table. The last step is the crowd pleaser, that’s when they light the sauce and a huge flame finishes cooking the sauce. (I would not recommend a beginner trying this!)

Cream Puffs in Venice has a great Crepe Suzette recipe (and photo) that does not require flaming the sauce.

What are some of your favorite fillings?

D. Basic Crepe Recipe

Basic Crepe Recipe (Video):

• 2 Tablespoons of butter melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of whole milk
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 cup of flour, white all-purpose
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 2 Tablespoons of white sugar
• 1 teaspoon of butter, not melted

With an electric hand mixer, blender, or a whisk, mix together 2 Tablespoons of melted butter, the eggs, the milk and the water.

Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, salt and sugar) and add them to the wet mixture. Blend until smooth.

Transfer the batter to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to 2 days).

If the ingredients have separated, gently stir them together again.

Heat a 9-10 inch non-stick fry pan over medium high heat. Melt ½ teaspoon of butter in the pan. Brush the butter over the surface of the pan with a heat resistant brush. (You should hear a sizzle!)

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan with one hand, and with the opposite hand, swirl the pan until the batter coats the bottom of the pan. (For a 6-7 inch pan use 2 1/2 Tablespoons of batter – slightly more than half of 1/4 cup)

Cook the crepe until it is a patchy light brown on the bottom, 30 seconds to one minute.

Loosen the edges of the crepe and flip it to the other side. Cook the second side until it is spotted brown and dry, about another 30 seconds.

Remove the crepe from the pan and continue cooking the remaining batter, adding more butter if necessary.

To store cooked crepes:

Stack between squares of wax paper, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to three days. The crepes can be frozen for up to two months.

Yield:

Makes sixteen to twenty 6 to 7 inch crepes or twelve to sixteen 9 to 10 inch crepes

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Can you spot the buttercup squash? If not, read on!

As autumn arrives, grocery stores and markets fill up with winter squash in all shapes and sizes. Butternut, buttercup, spaghetti … which one is which? And what do you do with them? This post will introduce you to some of the more popular members of the gourd family. Even if you don’t end up cooking with them, you can use them as seasonal decorations!

How to Choose Squash

Winter squash have tough, inedible skins, unlike summer squash (zucchini and yellow summer squash), which are harvested before they have fully ripened. When buying winter squash, look for ones that are heavy and have smooth, un-dented skins with the stems still on. These are indications that the squash was harvested when ripe and will have more flavor. Winter squash contain lots of healthy nutrients, like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Whole squash can be kept for up to a month, unrefrigerated, in a cool dry location.

Preparing Winter Squash

Most squash varieties can be baked, boiled, steamed and sautéed, but they each have different tastes and textures. Particular cooking techniques are better suited to some than others - don't try making butternut squash soup with spaghetti squash!

To prepare squash, start by washing it off and drying it. The next step will depend on how you want to use the squash and whether you have a good, sharp knife.

Option 1. Cut the Squash Before Cooking: Peeling squash is not easy, which is why some people roast squash unpeeled. You can peel the squash with a vegetable peeler (as shown it this video) or with a knife. Then you can cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh into whatever size pieces you need. Or, you can simply cook the two peeled/scooped-out halves in the oven (at 400F for about 40 minutes) or the microwave (calculating two minutes of cooking time per pound of squash).

Option 2. Partially Cook the Squash Before Cutting: If the squash is too hard to cut, try microwaving it for a minute or two, or boiling it for five minutes. You'll have to let it cool and then try to cut it.

Option 3. Cut the Squash After Cooking: Another way to avoid cutting a raw squash is to bake it whole. Pierce the squash in several places (using a fork or sharp knife) to let air escape, then bake it at 400F for about an hour. (If you do not pierce the squash it may EXPLODE in the oven!) Once it has cooled, you can cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and either cut the skin off or scoop out the flesh. This is a great method to use if the squash is going to be pureed for a side dish or soup.

Option 4. Roasting squash: Once you have cut the squash in half and scooped out the seeds you can roast it. Preheat the oven to 400F and drizzle the squash halves with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Put them cut-side down on a baking sheet, and roast for about 40 minutes.

Kathy roasted all the squash she photographed, shown below cut-side down...

...then turned each piece over to check that it was done.

Now, let’s find out who’s who in the squash family!

Butternut Squash (shown below)

Butternut squash is one of the most popular varieties because of its sweet, rich taste and beautiful orange color. These creamy-skinned squashes have a bulb-shaped end that contains the seeds. Butternut squash can be served pureed with apples or as the base of butternut squashsoup. Here’s a video that demonstrates maple-glazed butternut squash, a delicious and simple side-dish that calls for a quarter cup of rum. You can also use plain baked butternut squash as a side dish, salad or pasta topping.

Buttercup Squash (shown below)

Buttercup squashes are round and flat in shape and often have dark green skins. Although their flavor is similar to that of butternut squash, they’re not as sweet and they have a drier texture. They work well in many of the same recipes as butternut squash. Here’s a recipe for Brandy-Laced Squash Soup with Cinnamon and Bay Leaves.

Spaghetti Squash (shown below)

These oval-shaped squash produce stringy flesh that can actually substitute for pasta. (It looks like pasta but tastes like watery summer squash!) The flavor is mild, so you can serve it with a pasta sauce or parmesan cheese, or even just a little oil, salt and pepper. Kathy explains how to cook and serve basic spaghetti squash, or try this Mediterrenean version.

Acorn Squash (shown below)

Shaped like (you guessed it!) acorns, and typically dark green on the outside, this type of squash tastes great baked. Its nutty flesh is a bit drier than that of other squash varieties. You’ll often see recipes for stuffed acorn squash, because an acorn squash half makes an attractive, edible bowl.

Delicata Squash (shown below)

These long, cylindrical squash are also known as sweet potato squash because their creamy flesh resembles that of a sweet potato. They can be used in many recipes that call for butternut or buttercup squashes or sweet potato. Here’s a recipe for Delicata Squash and Gruyere Dip.

Pumpkin (shown below)

While these bright orange globes are the most sought after of the squash family, they get carved for Halloween more often than eaten. The size of pumpkins makes them a bit difficult to handle in the kitchen, which is why there's a marvelous invention called canned pumpkin. Kathy makes use of pumpkin puree in her Pumpkin Soup Without the Fuss and in her Pumpkin Pie for Beginners.

Summer Squash (shown below)

Green zucchini (shown below) and yellow summer squash (shown above) are also part of the gourd family. We have already covered how to prepare zucchini and yellow-skinned summer squash can be prepared in many of the same ways. Here’s a recipe specifically for summer squash.

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This soup is thick, hearty, full of flavor, and perfect for the beginner cook. It was taught to me by my Dad, who did not cook very often but who had a few specialties that were his “signature dishes.”  

Cabbage soup was one of his best! He always made it as part of a traditional Polish Christmas Eve celebration dinner. I like making his recipe as soon as the weather turns cold. Be sure to pick up a loaf of (Polish) rye bread at the grocery store – it is perfect with this soup!

You might already have most of the ingredients for this soup in your kitchen. Onion, celery, carrot, olive oil and chicken or vegetable broth are the basic ingredients. Add a bag of dry yellow split peas and a bag of sauerkraut and the list is complete! (Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage.)

Let’s startcooking!

One medium onion needs to get peeled and chopped.
(Check out my video for a quick review on How to Chop an Onion)

Dice one stalk of celery. Cut the stalk in half, and then in strips. From there it is really simple to dice the celery.

Do the same for the carrot – cut it in half, then strips, then into a dice.  (My Dad never put carrots in his cabbage soup, but I like to start with a combination of carrots, celery and onions for almost all the soups I make.)

Put the dry yellow split peas into a colander and sort them. That just means to look though them to make sure there are no tiny stones that ended up in the peas. Sometimes you will see a green split pea mixed in with the yellow ones – you can leave it in or take it out!

Now rinse the peas under cold running water.

As always, it is really important to get all your ingredients prepared in advance.

Heat the oil in a large (6 quart) pot, on medium heat, until it shimmers.

Add the chopped onions…

…and the diced celery…

…and the diced carrot.

Stir the vegetables.

Then let them cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft.

Add the rinsed peas to the soup pot…

…and the broth. You and use either chicken or vegetable broth.

Bring the soup to a boil.

Turn the stove down to simmer and cover the pot.

Simmer the soup for about one hour, giving it an occasional stir.

This soup gets VERY thick. You can add up to 2 cups of water (or even more!) to thin down the soup.

My Dad always used sauerkraut from a bag rather than buying it in a tin can. The sauerkraut from the tin can always tasted a bit “tinny.” You can find bagged sauerkraut in the “refrigerated pre-package deli meat section” of the grocery store.

Put the sauerkraut into a colander and rinse it under running cold water. Sauerkraut can be very tart. Rinsing it removes some of the tartness.

Add the sauerkraut to the soup.

Stir everything together. You can see how really thick this soup is. At this point I have already added about 1 and 1/2 cups of water. I think I do need to add a bit more!

Season the soup with some salt…

…and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve the soup with some nice Polish rye bread.

Enjoy!

You can view and print this recipe here.

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