Cooking Class Part 1... and a recipe for Crepes!

This spring I'm taking a course at the university all about food preparation, presentation, and demonstrations. Needless to say I am loving it! Today in class we made crepes, which are one of my favourite breakfast/dessert foods. They look so pretty and fancy when you plate them up! Today we filled our crepes with strawberries and whipped cream, and topped them with chocolate sauce.. but next time I make these it will be all about the Nutella and bananas! You can really fill your crepes with whatever you want, so get creative with different fruits, jams, chopped nuts, nut butters, custard, ice cream, or anything else you can think of.

These would be perfect to make for a Mother's Day brunch tomorrow!

Crepe Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. white sugar

Pinch salt

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. oil (for frying crepes)

*This recipe makes enough batter for 3-5 crepes, depending on the size of the pan you use

Filling Ingredients:

Fresh strawberries, sliced

1 cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. icing sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate syrup

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then add in the flour, sugar, salt, and milk. Whisk until batter is completely smooth. 

Pour the oil into a small dish and use a pastry brush dipped in the oil to coat a non-stick frying pan or crepe pan. Heat the pan over medium heat until it is hot when you place your hand above the pan.

Pour the crepe batter into a liquid measuring cup or bowl with a spout for easy pouring. Stir the batter to ensure the ingredients are still well incorporated.

To make the crepes you will have to pour the batter into the frying pan with one hand, then lift the pan above the heat source and use your other hand (preferably your dominant hand) to quickly tilt the pan in all directions. You should only need to pour a little bit of batter into the pan at a time and keep rotating the pan in circular motions so that the batter spreads out in a thin layer. Once the bottom of the pan is coated with a thin layer of batter, place the pan back on the heat and allow the crepe to cook. This won't take very long! When the edges look cooked, gently lift them away from the pan with a heatproof turner. Once the bottom is lightly golden, flip the crepe and briefly cook the other side for a few seconds. 

Remove the cooked crepe from the pan and place it on a large plate. Continue cooking with the remainder of the batter, oiling the pan only when necessary with the pastry brush. Stack the cooked crepes on top of each other, then once the batter has been all used up, peel them apart to plate and fill them individually.

To plate:

Prepare the whipping cream by beating the whipping cream, icing sugar, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until thickened.

Place a crepe pale side up on a serving plate, pipe or spoon a dollop of whipped cream onto the crepe, then top with the sliced strawberries. Fold over one side of the crepe, then the other. Top with more whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Garnish with additional strawberries and a light dusting of icing sugar.

Enjoy immediately!