paper thin lemon + sugar crepes

The girls and I love making (and eating) crepes on Monday mornings. What better way to start the week. I love them with lemon and sugar and years of practice have meant that I can get them paper thin. Practice makes perfect. Note to self: remember to buy a second whisk to avoid fights!

These crepes are so versatile as they can be made as sweet or savoury and although lemon + sugar is my favourite combo, finely sliced, shaved leg ham and gruyere cheese is also so good. (I add the ham and cheese after turning the crepe after it has cooked on one side and fold it over to let it cook through and melt the cheese). I’m getting hungry just thinking about them. The girls like them with just a little bit of butter and Grandad puts peanut butter on his! Each to their own.

I bought a little crepe pan from The Longtrack Pantry in Jugiong a couple of years ago and it is one kitchen item that I couldn’t live without! Making crepes when family or friends are staying on the weekend always goes down well. I know it’s naff, but I love to throw on my classic French Spotify playlist while cooking them to set the mood. OK, so maybe I am a bit of a Francophile after all.

And remember, you simply can’t have lemon + sugar crepes without coffee.

lemon + sugar crepes
You will need a crepe pan or non stick fry pan for this recipe. You can also double the mixture easily if you are cooking for a crowd.

1 cup plain flour, sifted
A pinch of salt
1 large egg or 2 eggs if they are small
1 1/3 cup milk or thereabouts
A small knob of melted butter, plus some extra butter for greasing the pan
For serving: sprinkle of castor sugar and squeeze of fresh lemon.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar and salt and mix together.
Make a well in the centre and crack the egg in.
Using a whisk, slowly start incorporating the egg in to the flour starting from the middle and working your way out.
As you do this, slowly and gradually pour in the milk so that you are incorporating the milk in to the flour and getting a lot of air in to the mix as you whisk. You want to see bubbles.
Whisk in the melted butter.
Heat a crepe pan or non stick fry pan over medium heat and brush with butter to grease the pan.
Using a soup ladle, spoon 3/4 of the ladle full of mixture in to the pan and swirl around to make it as thin as possible.
Let it cook for a couple of minutes until it has browned on the bottom.
Flip the crepe over and let it cook for another minute or so on the other side. Try your luck at flipping the crepe up in the air to add to the theatre.
Serve straight away sprinkled with castor sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon.