Weekends are a luxury – I get a break from my usual routine of waking up the entire household at 7 a.m, and I get to sleep in. A “late” morning is until about 9 a.m.
On a usual Sunday, our kids are likely to wake up before us. My oldest, Little A, will likely pull out a dozen eggs and a gallon of milk from the fridge, and AP flour from the pantry. Eventually, one of us will find the the kids in the kitchen, and magically, there is a crepe batter in a mixing bowl awaiting us. The crepes are ready to be made and a lazy Sunday brunch can begin.
When Little A was just 4 years old, and able to count to 10, she made her first batch of crepe batter. We woke up to a puddle of milk, a cloud of AP flour in the air, and floured footprints powdered the kitchen tile. Her pajamas were also covered in flour. Despite our numerous attempts of telling her she needs our permission before making a new crepe batter, Little A still makes her batter weekly. And she almost always presents it as a surprise breakfast for Mommy.
For a while, I got tired of the crepes. As she was learning how to make the batter, sometimes the crepes were too thick and chewy, like an unleavened pancake. And then one day, she turned out a beautiful batch of crepes. Now, my grade school child is a crepe batter master.
As the big sister, she also has a little accomplice: her 5 year old sister, Mini C. When before, Little A was just a little baby, we would make this crepe batter with her. Now, she wakes up with little sister while the two of them make the batter in secret.
This is a recipe that she uses, which is also the same recipe my husband used growing up. And as you could guess, it’s easy enough for a 4 year old to remember. But since our kids don’t always know how to accurately measure out the ingredients, inevitably, they will have added too much flour or poured out too much milk. So, the two girls currently troubleshoot their batter only using their 5 senses, and with lots of love and care. They’ve learned by heart how to create the consistency that they have grown up to expect.
French-Canadian Crepes (by Little A)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (136 grams)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Use a mixing bowl, preferably one with tall sides, crack the egg.
- Pour 1 cup of milk.
- Using a whisk, mix thoroughly.
- Add flour, and mix again, ensuring that there are no lumps of flour left. (If the batter seems too thick, you can add a little bit more milk, to taste)
- Let the batter rest, for at least 30 minutes. (This is where you wait for the adults to wake up)
- Heat the stove to medium.
- Using a heavy bottomed pan, heat the pan just enough until it’s easy to melt a pat of butter.
- Use a ladle and pour in the batter and spread evenly on the bottom of the pan.
- Flip until done, and serve.
- Top with lots of real Canadian or Vermont maple syrup (not Aunt Jemima!) and any of your favorite toppings.
Crepe Toppings
- Your favorite jam
- Chocolate chips (melt on top of crepe)
- Chopped fruit (strawberries, raspberries, mango)
- Crême fraîche or mascarpone cheese
- Try ending brunch with a lunch crepe: Blue cheese, ham, spring greens
Clara Kuo 