Talladega Nights // SUPER thin pancakes! 🥞
Tonight, we duel via Facebook live stream!
As you’ve probably figured out, we like different so this “safe at home” thing has given us the perfect opportunity to have a mini-battle. Let’s call it a duel.
This one started out as a request from our friends Joe and Todd who wanted to learn how to make crepes. I know… this is obvious but the first movie that comes to mind is Talladega Nights, right? Let me refresh your memory:
TRIVIA (maybe) I’m pretty sure Sasha Baron Cohen’s character shares the family name of René Girard since Girard is about as cultured and opposite as you can get from Ricky Bobby. Girard postulated that “…all conflict, competition, and rivalry, therefore, originate in mimetic desire (mimetic rivalry), which eventually reaches destructive stages of conflict both between individuals and social groups that requires them to blame someone or something in order to diffuse conflict through the scapegoat mechanism.” ~ René Girard on Wikipedia. Sounds like the perfect antagonist, right?
Let’s get back on track… with “really thin pancakes!”
The movie references the classic Crêpes Suzette but we’re not going that classy since… it’s a little more involved and we are trying to show that crepes don’t have to be intimidating. If you want to go down that road (I am loving these puns…) here is a terrific recipe from Chef Jacques Pépin via Food&WIne. Also, I like that one crepe recipe can be super versatile. Make a batch and use them for dinner and dessert. Crêpes Suzette is a sweet crepe and my basic recipe is more of a savory crepe. Yes… there is a difference.
Why are crepes so intimidating? First off, they have that accent on the ê, second (maybe first), people seem to think you need a special pan for this. I’m not going to link to a pan since I think that is unnecessary in all but the most dedicated of homes. Maybe I’m just not French enough…
All you need is a flat-bottomed non-stick pan. Bigger is better since you are rolling them like a burrito so tortilla-size is easier to work with. If you have a 12” flat-bottomed non-stick skillet you’re golden but seriously… don’t go buy a pan crepe pan just to try this. I use this one from Scanpan. You can find it on Amazon for around $90, but any non-stick will work if they are in good shape. You’ll use butter on the pan, but you need the crepe to release nicely. Those pesky handle rivets at the front of some larger pans make for a tricky flip, so avoid them. Also, a good lip for flipping makes you look like a boss chef!
Crepes for Two
Crepe Ingredients (makes eight or so)
1 cup milk (I like whole milk, but use whatever you want)
2 Eggs (large)
2 Tbsp melted butter plus more for the pan
1 cup flour (all-purpose)
½ cup Water
¼ tsp Kosher salt
Filling Ingredients
Protein (we like smoked salmon – lox works great)
Cheese – your choice
Parsley – any style
Cream – optional but YES
I didn’t list the quantity for the filling because these are that simple. Just fill them as you wish. Too big and they’ll burst, but don’t sweat it… they’ll still be tasty!
Tools Needed
Sieve (med-fine mesh)
Flat-bottomed non-stick pan (12” is nice but any size will do… you just get smaller crepes)
Flexible spatula (the thinner the better… it’s for getting under the crepe)
Act 1 - The Journey (aka directions)
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until uniformly yellow.
Whisk in the milk, water and kosher salt.
PRO TIP… a pinch of salt is approximately 1/8 tsp, so no need to measure.
Add the butter last and whisk while incorporating to reduce getting butter solids.
Add the flour slowly while whisking. The idea is to get this creamy so don’t add it all at once or it can make it a little lumpy.
Put your sieve over a suitable sized container, preferably with a pour spout. Have a spoon handy and pour your prepared crepe batter into the sieve slowly. Working in small batches, use the spoon to stir the batter in the sieve. We’re getting rid of clumps here and while this whole straining thing isn’t necessary, it will give you superior crepes!
When the batter is strained, cover your batter and put it in the fridge to rest. You don’t need to do this but again, it will give you a better crepe! I like to let the batter rest for an hour.
Act 2 - Into the Frying Pan
The idea here is that the crepes are thin and will cook pretty quickly. You’ll use up all the batter making the crepes before we put them back on the pan to cook them with the filling. Have a plate set to the side to hold the crepes as you finish them.
On medium heat, put some butter in the pan. Use just enough to give a light coat. You can use clarified or cold butter. Dial the temp up or down so that you get some bubbles forming without browning the bottoms. If they get too crispy, they’ll be harder to roll.
Pour in enough batter to coat the flat part of the pan. In my 12” pan it is around 1/4 cup. Swirl the batter to spread it out and keep swirling until the batter stops moving. This will make them fairly thin, no special tools required!
Watch for the bubbles forming. After the bubbles settle down, take a little peek underneath to check for doneness. They might be slightly brown on the first one (just like pancakes!). On the next one. Dial the temp up or down so that you get some bubbles forming without browning the bottoms. If they get too crispy, they’ll be harder to roll.
Flip it! If you have a thin spatula, it’s easier to get underneath to help release the crepe from the pan but a vigorous shake may release it just fine. Use the spatula to flip it or practice you pan-flipping technique! Here is a nice tutorial from Bon Appétit.
The second side only needs seconds to cook. You’ll be placing this side back on the pan later, so it just needs to be cooked enough to not stick to the pan.
Repeat until all the batter is done. If you are also making dessert crepes (and why wouldn’t you), make sure you have a couple set aside for the end of the meal!
Act 3 - Acceptance to the call
Turn your heat down to med-low. We don’t need to cook the crepes any more, but we want to warm the filling and give the cheese time to melt. Again, don’t worry about going too easy on these but if you go too hot, they’ll be crispy and hard to fold.
Have your ingredients ready to go. Once you put the crepe in the pan… it’s game on.
Place the “second side” in the pan (the side that we very lightly cooked in the above).
Add the protein(s) nicely distributed but more toward the middle. You are wrapping these like a burrito… salt and pepper to taste.
Add the cheese. Shredded melts better, but anything goes here!
Add the parsley and/or any greens.
Before you fold it, add a little ribbon of cream to the length of the crepe.
Fold in thirds, holding each fold for a beat by pressing the crepe lightly against the filling. This will help keep the shape when you flip this in the next step.
Roll/flip the entire crepe over so the seam is now the underside. You’ll see the cheese and cream start to melt/bubble.
Drizzle a little more cream on top and garnish with cheese and parsley.
Serve it up and eat immediately or put in the warmer (better to eat them as you go!).
Now that you have the hang of this, finish eating dinner and get ready for a quick and easy bonus round! DESSERT
DESSERT FILLING… yep.
Half an apple, diced
2 Tbsp Brown sugar
1 Tbsp Butter
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Powdered sugar - optional, for dusting
Wipe out the pan used for dinner. We’ll be using one pan for this whole thing. Hopefully you reserved two crepes, right? Have a heat-proof bowl set to the side for the filling (step 3).
Over medium heat put the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in the pan and swirl with your spatula until it is fragrant and mostly incorporated.
Add the diced apple and mix to coat. Let the apples cook for a minute or two, stirring occasionally. The apples should be al dente or to your liking, but not mush!
Pour this apple pie filling into a heat-proof bowl
Drop the heat to medium-low and add one of the reserved crepes to the pan. Yes, the first one gets extra goodness with the filling that was coating the pan.
Add half the filling and fold. You’re a pro at this by now!
Roll/flip like before and serve it up.
Finish them with an optional dusting of powdered sugar for the ‘gram.
Sure, this seemed to have a lot of steps but I wrote this to be a little on the micro-manage side of instruction, just because crepes have the stigma of being challenging.
Like Ricky Bobby… crepes are simple yet complex. Now, go watch Talladega Nights. You won the race!
Post your super thin pancakes pics to Instagram. Tag @BattleDinner so we get an alert and let us know how you did!
