Danish Crepes

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients, except for the oil, in a blender. Pulse a few times until smooth. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. If the batter is thicker than heavy cream, add a little more milk.

2. Heat up a large nonstick pan. Pour a little vegetable oil onto a folded paper towel, and wipe the pan evenly. Keep the paper towel at hand while preparing the crêpes, in case you want to give it another wipe.

3. Pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the crêpe batter and quickly move the pan around so that the batter spreads evenly, covering the whole surface with a thin layer. Let cook for about 1 minute, until the crêpe’s surface is no longer shiny. Then flip it with a spatula and cook the other side for about 30 seconds.

4. Repeat these steps until you are out of batter, stacking the cooked crêpes on a plate. The first few will probably be a bit crumpled and unpresentable. They belong to the cook as a snack, sprinkled with sugar!

Serving Ideas:

Top your crêpes with jam or Nutella, fresh sliced fruit and whipped cream, or keep them simple with a  sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Then either fold the crêpes into quarters, roll them up or stack them on top of one another as a very fine layer cake.

Crêpes for Dinner:

Add a little more salt to the batter, skip the vanilla, and, if you like, toss in a few tablespoons of chopped tender herbs, like basil, dill, or chives. Make according to the above directions. Fold the cooked savory crêpes around roast chicken, pesto, peas, and Monterey Jack cheese. Or sautéed spinach and mushrooms, mixed with a little Parmesan and ricotta. Perhaps some feta with chopped broccoli and tomatoes. Drizzle with a little tomato sauce and heat in the oven until warm.

Excerpted from The Family Dinner by Laurie David — Grand Central Publishing (2010).