When I worked in Downtown D.C., there was a restaurant my coworkers and I would visit frequent. I can’t, for the life of me, remember its name—but it doesn’t really matter, as it’s no longer around. Like many trendy eateries, It was popular until it wasn't. Still, it was close to the office, and we liked it.
What really made this restaurant stand out was its focus on crepes. They had everything: savory crepes, entrée crepes with chicken or beef, vegetarian options, dessert crepes—you name it. (For a moment, I feel like Forrest Gump listing Bubba’s shrimp!) The crepes were delicious, and I thought, Why not make these at home? So, I bought a crepe maker and threw myself into it, making crepes to my heart's content. But, like many hobbies, the excitement faded, and eventually, I packed the crepe maker away.
Recently, while packing up our old house, I rediscovered it. My husband saw it and said, “I don’t even remember the last time you used this thing,” before tossing it without a second thought. So, that was the end of my crepe-making era—or so I thought.
Fast forward two years, and I’m living in a new state and a new house. I meet a wonderful new friend, a middle school Spanish and French teacher, who is determined to improve her French skills. Immersing herself in the language also meant diving into French cuisine, and one day, she suggested, “We should make crepes together!” Without hesitation, I said, “Done!” I bought a new crepe maker on amazon.
After some planning, we finally made it happen. We invited another mutual friend, opened a bottle of wine, and spent the evening chatting, laughing, and making crepes. It was a delightful experience, and I’d like to share the recipe with you. It’s a simple, classic crepe recipe—the real secret lies in getting the batter’s consistency just right and heating the pan to the perfect temperature.
As I enter this new reality, I realize I am no longer obligated to cook for the family. they are all old enough to fend for themselves. It is a liberating shift, stepping into a phase where cooking becomes a choice rather than a duty. Cooking purely for fun opens up so many opportunities to try new recipes or host casual get-togethers.
If you try it, I hope you’ll share your crepes with friends, whether or not wine is involved. Because, at the end of the day, crepes are best enjoyed with great company.
Here is the basic crepe recipe we used. You can recipe. Our filling was mashed potatoes for the savory variety and apricot jam for the dessert crepes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (350ml) milk (preferably 2%)
- 1 cup (142g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- Butter for pan
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
- Desired fillings (optional)
Instructions
- Add milk, flour, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla and eggs in a bowl then use a handheld immersion mixer on low speed until well combined, about 10 seconds.
- Scrape sides and bottom of blender if there's any flour sticking and blend a few seconds longer.
- Cover and chill 1 hour (or overnight if desired).
- Heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Gently stir batter with a spoon just to blend separated layers.
- Lightly butter skillet then lift pan and pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan, immediately tilt and swirl pan in circular motion to evenly coat entire bottom portion of pan with batter or dip crepe maker into the plate holding the batter.
- Cook until golden brown brown on bottom then use an offset spatula to lift an edge of the crepe, grab the edge of the crepe with your fingertips and flip crepe to opposite side. Cook until golden brown spots appear on bottom.
- Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat until all of the batter has been used up (if needed reduce burner temperature slightly).
- Fill with desired fillings then fold.
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