Heavenly Crepes

Crepe-alicious!

Ever crave something and magically, poof, as if by fate, you find yourself in some omniscient, foodie god's favor? I encountered such fateful parallels recently, on the receipt of Martha Stewart's February issue of Living magazine.

Having discovered a fabulous restaurant in the midtown area of Houston, Texas, known as Coco's Crepes and Coffee, I find too often, my thoughts revolving and taste buds salivating for a bite of one of Coco's legendary savory crepes; the earthy flavor of goat cheese sandwiched between roasted tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms and squash all wrapped up a slightly sweet whole-wheat crepe, topped with a warm, roasted red pepper aioli...mmmm...could anything be sweeter? Such moments reveal to me, that heaven may be a place on earth after all.

So, when I opened to Martha's article titled, Crepes 101, I could almost hear the far tinkling of angels' heralding my good fortune.

In the article, Martha offers a recipe for basic crepes, as well as a buckwheat variation, which she suggests for savory combinations. And, while I prefer the savory creations to the typical sweet, nutella variety, she includes a recipe for crepes banana foster, that looks almost too good to be true, with warm, fattened bananas nestled in a puddle of sweetened rum, vanilla and brown sugar.

And, to share the food fortune bestowed upon me, I leave unto all of you, the recipes that leave me weak in the knees.

Bon appetit!

Basic Crepes
makes 32 six-inch or 12 ten-inch crepes

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
2 c. whole milk, room temp.
3 large eggs, room temp.
2 1/2 oz. (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temp.

1. Sift flour and salt in large bowl.
2. Whisk milk and eggs together in med. bowl.
3. Pour milk mixture into large flour mixture, whisking to combine.
4. Whisk in butter and refrigerate mixture for 2 hrs.
*Batter should be consistency of heavy cream; add more milk if necessary.

5. Heat 8- or 12-in. nonstick skillet over med. heat, and brush with butter.
6. Ladle 3 Tb (for small crepes) or 1/3 c. batter (for large crepes) into pan, turning and tilting skillet to coat evenly. Cook until top appears set, bottom is golden brown, and center is lifted by pockets of air, about 1 min.
7. Run spatula around edges to loosen, slip spatula under crepe, and flip in one swift gesture. Cook about 45 sec. more, until bottom is firm.
8. Transfer to plate, and cover.
9. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan with butter every 2 or 3 crepes.

For buckwheat variation:

Substitute 3/4 c. buckwheat flour for all purpose flour, and add an additional 3/4 c. whole milk.

Bananas Foster Crepes
serves 4

1 1/2 oz. (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 c. dark-brown sugar
2 ripe bananas
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. dark rum
4 basic small crepes (see basic recipe)
1/2 c. creme fraiche

1. Warm butter and sugar in saute pan over med. heat until butter melts.
2. Add bananas, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla, and cook, stirring, for 1-2 min. Remove pan from heat, add rum.
3. Return to heat, light with long match, and cook until flames stop.
4. Divide bananas among crepes, fold each crepe in half, then fold in half again.
5. Drizzle with reserved sauce, and top with creme fraiche!

For more crepe recipes, visit www.marthastewart.com.