Crepes

I've never been to France. I hear their crepes are incredible. However, I have been to Germany. I don't think crepes are the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Germany (foods ending in -schnitzel and -wurst DO, however), but I did have some amazing crepes in Germany. 


Every day in Bonn (where we were working at a UNFCCC climate change conference) after a long day of taking notes, Nathan and I took the superbly efficient train from the conference center to downtown to find a place for dinner. At the train station, just as we exited with the crowd, there was a small, nondescript crepe stand. The first few days, I barely noticed it, but towards the end of the first week I thought about the crepe stand all day long. (I was hungry and I tend to have long food fantasies.) 

One night, as we got off the train, I dragged Nathan through the crowd of German students and business women and drunk men and pointed to the picture of a crepe crammed with Nutella, bananas, and whipped cream. It was so, so good. I think I ate two that afternoon and had one nearly every day until we left Bonn. 


Since Nutella isn't an easy-to-find ingredient, those crepes have slipped off my radar until recently, when I read "The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry", by Kathleen Flinn. I really enjoyed the book, though most of the recipes were more meat-oriented. I lingered over the crepe recipe and last night decided to make it as part of my 2012 Food Challenge. 

Crepe batter:
¾ cup flour
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup milk
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 tbsp melted butter melted

Filling for the crepe:
Thinly sliced bananas
Nutella 

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix together the milk and the vanilla.
3. Add a third of the milk mixture and the eggs to the dry ingredients, slowly incorporating in the flour.
4. Whisk in the remaining milk and melted butter.
5. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
6. Heat a non-stick pan on a low-medium heat and brush it with a little butter. 
7. Pour about ¼ cup of the batter onto the heated pan, and tilt the pan to coat it evenly.
8. The crepe is ready to flip once the edges are slightly browned. Stack them up.

Add nutella and sliced bananas and fold the crepes in quarters, or roll up. They were delicious as is, but we sent them over the top by adding a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream.