Let them eat Crepes!

This week, we have France on the brain. Even though Bastille Day is still a month away, some friends of ours went to France anyway and had a fantastic time exploring Paris, sipping their way through Burgundy and eating their way through Michelin-starred restaurants.

While they were away, San Francisco lost its best creperie when Ti Couz, an anchor of the 16th Street Corridor in the Mission District closed. As we scramble to find an acceptable replacement for our monthly fix of buckwheat crepes and cold cider we plan to cook up a whole mess of crepes and nail down our form. As Jean Girard (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) explained in Talladega Nights, crepes "are the really thin pancakes. It's just a French word for them."

While crepes may sound difficult to pronounce and cook, the recipes and techniques are quite simple. For the batter all you need is flour, egg, milk and a pinch of salt. Then, add butter to a hot pan for cooking. The best part is that you can fill crepes with your favorite sweet or savory ingredients.

To help you find the best homemade crepe dishes, we fired up the FoodPair search engine and found a handful of great recipes from across the Web.

Lemon and Sugar Crepes
These are deceptively simple to make and clearly delicious to eat.
Ingredients: lemon, egg, salt, all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, milk, superfine sugar


Strawberry and Orange Crepes
Fresh fruit crepes are the perfect beginning or end to any day.
Ingredients: honey, egg, butter, orange, ricotta cheese, strawberry, sugar, lemon zest, salt, all-purpose flour, milk

Crispy Crepes with Apple, Brie and Prosciutto
Moving along, we found a lunch crepe with Prosciutto & Brie.
Ingredients: prosciutto, olive oil, egg, butter, Brie, watercress, black pepper, all-purpose flour, milk, Granny Smith apple, apple butter

Spinach and Mushroom Crepes
These delicious savory crepes are baked with a tangy bechamel.
Ingredients: tomato, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, egg, spinach, butter, mustard, mushrooms, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, all-purpose flour, milk, bechamel sauce, sharp Cheddar cheese

Grand Marnier Crepe Cake
Finish it off with this creative Crepe Cake.
Ingredients: egg, butter, heavy cream, salt, all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, milk, orange zest, Grand Marnier


Now it's time to cook (cuire) and eat (manger)!

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