I know what you’re thinking, ”Crepe recipes? On a Southwest food blog?” That’s what I thought. Until I tasted fajita steak and chipotle chicken wrapped up in a crispy crepe, that is.
We found a great little restaurant in Irvine, California last month called the Crepe Maker. The menu is built around a basic crepe recipe filled with just about anything you can imagine. Savory, sweet, Southwest, Italian, they have it all. My husband was skeptical, to say the least. ”Crepes aren’t really food. Are they?”
These crepes certainly are! I have never had a crepe like this. The crepes I have eaten are usually small and soft… delicate little things. The crepes at Crepe Maker are large and crispy! Think pizza sized. They are folded in half and rolled into a cone shape in order to hold such hearty ingredients as fajita steak, marinated chicken and even Tex-Mex combos with corn and black beans. My favorite crepe turned out to be the one I tried on a whim. It has marinated chicken, melted cheddar cheese, tomatoes, spinach, walnuts and… wait for it… raspberry jam! It was delicious! The raspberry jam added tartness and just a little sweet to the dish. The jam melted slightly in the warm crepe and spread itself around on the spinach greens. I’ve been craving the crepes ever since we returned home.
The cooks at the Crepe Maker shared their tips for making the perfect crepe. So, get your filling and your crepe batter ready and cook along.
1. Consistency. The batter should be a thin pancake like batter so that it will spread evenly but, it should still have body and not be too runny.
2. The biggest tip is to spread the crepe batter evenly so that it will brown evenly and crisp up without patches of uncooked batter. A crepe maker machine is used but, the cooks said they make crepes at home in a regular saute pan and they turn out just as well. If you don’t have one of these “spreaders,” just roll the batter around the pan and pour off the excess before the crepes brown.
3. Use an “off set” spatula that is long enough to fit under the entire crepe so the crepe can be flipped without tearing.
4. Make sure that the crepe browns evenly on both sides so that it will get crispy and be strong enough to hold the fillings.
5. Fold the crepe in half while still in the pan so that your warm ingredients will stay warm and cheese will melt to the crepe.
6. Work quickly when adding the fillings so that the crepe will not over cook or dry out.
7. Roll the crepe into a cone shape around the filling while the crepe is warm and can still be shaped without cracking.
8. Don’t forget to make extra crepes to fill with carmel and fresh fruit for a low-fat dessert.
Here is a good basic crepe recipe to experiment with. You can always add things like chives to the batter.
Basic Crepes
1 cup milk
1/2 cup lukewarm water
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick melted butter
Vegetable oil for pan
Pour milk, water and eggs into a blender. Pulse a few times. Add flour and salt. Cover and pulse a few times again. Add melted butter and blend for one to two minutes. Scrape down the sides if necessary and pulse.
Rest batter in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Brush the cooking surface with oil. Follow the directions above. If you are using a large saute pan, pour a circle of batter into the middle of the pan and swirl the batter around to coat the bottom of the pan and pour excess back into the bowl of batter. Proceed as above.
Use your favorite fajita or chile marinated steak to fill the crepes or try some of these ideas-
Fillet Asada with Greens and Cranberry, Pecan Salad- Everday Southwest in Southwest Flair Magazine
Succulent Achiote- Orange Carnitas Recipe- Black Girl Chef’s Whites
Pulled Chicken Tacos- Guilty Kitchen
- posted by Sandy
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I have never thought of crepes like this! Large and crispy – wow!
The only crepes I have ever made is Julia Child’s recipe. They are fabulous and you can store them in your fridge in a big pile for several weeks and then just peel them off as you need them.
Must try these!
I live near Irvine. Can’t wait to try this place!!!
Kathleen, Give it a try and let me know how you like it. Don’t forget the dessert crepes!
This recipe turned out almost exactly like the shop’s! I added approximately 2 tablespoons of white sugar and some cocoa powder to this recipe and got an even better taste for desert crepes. Leave out the cocoa powder, but keep the sugar and it’s still not that sweet. The pouring technique advice for a skillet was extremely helpful for creating the perfect texture and thickness. Thanks for posting this!
Hilliary – We are so happy that you had success! And thanks for coming back and commenting!
Hilliary, I’m glad you liked the post! Have you tried it with savory ingredients? Wrap a tasty salad inside of one for a great take on a sandwich.
Hi, this looks really good. Just a question about the mix recipe and the amount: Is the recipe the same one used at the crepe place you visited, and how much to pour to make one crepe (say the same size as in the picture)?
Thanks.
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