FoodPoint

3.10 – Crêpes au Citron – Intermediate – Baking & Desserts

Roughly translated, this rather stylish-sounding dish is simply ‘lemon pancakes’. For those of you familiar with Crepes Suzette, this is an enjoyably tangy alternative for those of us who prefer lemons to oranges.

Plus there’s some flames involved again! Whilst some of you may be starting to think I’m some sort of pyromaniac, since when is a little excitement and theatre in food a bad thing?

PART A – BASIC SWEET CREPES

The title says it all. You can use these for any dish that requires sweet crepes, or just eat them in place of the more standard pancakes which can sometimes be a bit too stodgy.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups plain flour

1 cup milk

1 cup water

2 eggs

2 tbsp caster sugar

50g unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

I find that a combination of milk and water does a better job than either do on their own. I would recommend using full cream milk as I’m not sure whether skim or semi-skim milk would work the same. Either way, you won’t find either of these in my fridge unless I’m deludedly trying to be “healthy” again.

Method:

1. Melt the butter, then place aside to cool slightly. (Use whatever method you like, most often I’ll just do it in a cup in the microwave because it’s less to clean than a saucepan on the stove. The important thing is that it’s FULLY melted when you do it, not just softened.)

2. Place the milk, water and eggs into a jug or bowl and whisk until combined.

3. Sift in the flour, caster sugar and salt, and mix gently until smooth. (Beating too quickly can activate the gluten in the flour and results in rubbery crepes.)

4. Gently whisk in the melted butter until combined.

5. Cover and place aside to rest for at least 1 hour. (I’ve left mine out overnight in cooler weather and had no issues. TIP: You should give the batter another gentle whisk before using it to ensure everything is still combined and smooth.)

6. Heat your crepe pan over a medium-high heat. (If you don’t have a crepe pan, just use a normal frying pan approx. 20cm (8 in) in diameter.)

7. Pour/ladle some of the batter into the pan, then swirl the pan immediately to spread out the batter into a thin layer. (This is a good way to gauge how much of the batter you’ll need for each crepe. As with pancakes, often the first crepe isn’t usually the best.)

8. Fry the crepe for 30-60 seconds on each side or until light-brown at the edges, then remove and place between a layer of kitchen towel.

9. Repeat Steps 7 & 8 until all the batter is used.

10. You can serve the warm crepes with some strawberries and cream, or with some sugar and lemon juice, or however you want to eat them (Peking Duck Pancakes anyone?). If you’re going to make the full recipe, then place the crepes aside while you make the lemon syrup.

Makes 6-12 depending on the size of your pan and adeptness in spreading the batter.

PART B – LEMON SYRUP

The title is a bit misleading here, as this is technically a lemon and lime syrup, but sometimes I can’t be bothered being pedantric. Call it whatever you want to.

Ingredients:

2 lemons

1 lime

⅔ cup caster sugar

½ cup water

50g unsalted butter

Limoncello (optional)

As with some previous recipes, when I say the Limoncello is “optional”, I mean you darn well better be using it! I have not specified an amount because it’s sort of up to you to decide how much is enough.

Method:

1. Zest and juice the lemons and lime. (I prefer to use an actual citrus zester for this as opposed to a microplane as the larger strips look more appealing, but you can use whatever implement that feels most comfortable to you.)

2. Place the citrus zest and juice into a pan along with the caster sugar and water and stir together off the heat until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

3. Place the pan over a medium heat until it begins to simmer, then add some Limoncello if you’re using it. (I’d say anywhere between ¼-½ cup, as I’ll be adding more later.)

4. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer until slightly reduced and syrupy, then add the butter and stir until melted.

5. Fold the crepes in half, then in half again and place them into the syrup around the edges of the pan. Spoon some of the syrup over the top of the crepes to ensure they are soaked. (Only place in as many crepes as will fit without overcrowding the pan. Some slight overlapping is fine, but you really want only a single layer if possible.)

6. Allow the crepes to simmer in the sauce for 1-2 minutes before removing from the heat.

7. You can serve these now, OR… if this is the conclusion of a dinner party (or you’re just a quirky person):

8. Place some more Limoncello into a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer. (Once again, maybe around half a cup or so.)

9. Dim the lights, set fire to the Limoncello, and pour it over the pan of crepes. Shake the flaming pan gently until the flames subside, then serve with some ice cream, whipped cream, or mascarpone.

Serves 3-6 depending on how many crepes you managed to fit into the pan. I usually allow 2 crepes per person.

A video of this recipe is also available - https://youtu.be/G6onyWjPZW4.