eat - sweet breakfast crêpes

There was a period of time that my dad woke up every Saturday morning, cracked open what I'm convinced is a first edition Joy of Cooking (read: well-loved) & made a double batch of crêpes for whatever daughters & however many of their friends were around to eat it. They were pretty renowned, Papa Essmann's crêpes. As the years have passed, less people are around on Saturday mornings & my younger sisters seem to be a little bit healthier in their breakfast choices (how did I miss that gene?), & the crêpe making has waned off into By-Special-Request Land.

I've been brainstorming about Valentine's Day festivities, as V-day breakfast has fallen into my court this year, & crêpes were my Aha! moment. Do I think I'll be able to execute these thin little pancakes? Absolutely not. Seriously, it's really like everything my culinary skills are not. But am I going to try & then wait for Jared to step in with his natural kitchen talent? Heck yes. 

& so! I thought I'd share the wealth with you all, in case you ever find yourself thinking, "Holy crêpe! I need a fancy breakfast, stat!" (The puns are endless.) Papa E. graciously agreed to make his infamous crêpes while I documented the process, & I got a lesson from the master. (It won't help.) I'm here to tell you that it was, as always, delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
flour
salt
baking powder
powdered sugar
eggs (2)
milk
water
vanilla
toppings - goat cheese, cinnamon + sugar, grapefruit

Sift:

3/4 cp all-purpose flour

Resift with:

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

2 T powdered sugar

Beat:

2 eggs

Add & whisk:

2/3 cp milk

1/3 cp water

1/2 t vanilla

Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.
Whisk together to mix - Ignore any lumps in mixture. 

Heat skillet.
Grease with teensy bit of butter.
Add a small quantity of batter.
Tip skillet to spread batter.
Cook over moderate heat until crêpe begins to pull away on the edges.
Flip and cook other side.
Dad says your first crêpe will always be ugly, so you should just go ahead & eat it.
Use small amounts of butter to grease pan between each crêpe.
*note: this recipe is adapted, but mostly the same as the original Joy of Cooking "French Crêpe" recipe

Toppings:

Grapefruit, because Valentine's Day = pink! (salmon?), duh!
Soften goat cheese.
Mix in cinnamon & sugar.

  Cut grapefruit from peel. (Easier said than done. This how-to helped.)

Assemble crêpe! 

We topped our crêpe off with some extra cinnamon + sugar & goat cheese. Because always more goat cheese.

Other favorite Essmann crêpe toppings:

Cream cheese, cinnamon + sugar, strawberries or jam

Chocolate chips, cinnamon + sugar

Powdered sugar, strawberries, lemon juice

Nutella, banana

Potentially serve with a love note about how you think they're just the crêpe-est & you love the crêpe out of them.

Click the "read more" below for the recipe sans photos

Sweet Breakfast Crepes with Goat Cheese & Grapefruit

Ingredients:
3/4 cp flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
2 T powdered sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cp milk
1/3 cp water
1/2 t vanilla
toppings - goat cheese, cinnamon + sugar, grapefruit

Sift:

3/4 cp all-purpose flour

Resift with:

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

2 T powdered sugar

Beat:

2 eggs

Add & whisk:

2/3 cp milk

1/3 cp water

1/2 t vanilla

Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Whisk together to mix - Ignore any lumps in mixture. Heat skillet. Grease with teensy bit of butter. Add a small quantity of batter. Tip skillet to spread batter. Cook over moderate heat until crêpe begins to pull away on the edges. Flip and cook other side. Dad says your first crêpe will always be ugly, so you should just go ahead & eat it. Use small amounts of butter to grease pan between each crêpe. Soften goat cheese. Mix in cinnamon & sugar. Cut grapefruit from peel. (Easier said than done. This how-to helped.) Assemble crêpe, top with extra cinnamon + sugar & goat cheese.

Other favorite Essmann crêpe toppings:

Cream cheese, cinnamon + sugar, strawberries or jam

Chocolate chips, cinnamon + sugar

Powdered sugar, strawberries, lemon juice

Nutella, banana