Crepes

The truth about crepes is that they’re nowhere near as difficult as you think they’re going to be. Because they’re so thin they take no time at all to cook and, unlike pancakes, they never come out gooey in the middle and even flipping them is easier, as you’re about to find out. The only issue I’ve had with crepes is trying to get them nice and big and round, for some reason I’m always leaning toward stinginess with the batter and so they tend to come out in slightly odd shapes. This however is a minor concern as it has no impact on taste.

And speaking of taste, as a kid I always liked my pancakes with lemon and sugar (More sugar! More sugar!) but last weekend we discovered something new... LIME and sugar! There is no turning back!

110g plain flour

a pinch of salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon oil (something light and flavourless)

290mL milk

caster sugar and lime wedges for serving

Whisk everything together in a jug, adding milk until it reaches the consistency of thin cream and put it in the fridge for half an hour. This is similar to the bread making process and will allow the yeast in the flour to develop and bind the ingredients together in a more elastic batter. Without this step your crepes will crumble and refuse to turn successfully.

Heat up your frying pan to a medium to high heat and wipe it with a little oil. The oil in the batter should make them less likely to stick anyway and if you have a non-stick pan this probably isn’t strictly necessary, but I am not afraid of fat and so adding a smear of oil doesn’t worry me.

Pour your batter into the hot pan, lifting and tilting to cover the whole base of the pan. Within a few seconds the edges will be drying and curling and this is your cue to turn it over. Leave it for a few seconds more just to set the other side then turn out onto a piece of paper towel.

Serve as soon as possible (being so thin they don’t hold their heat for very long) with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of caster sugar, rolled up for presentation. My sister and I ate ours from our hands while still standing at the stove!