Les Crepes

And here begins our Week of Food Posts as prescribed by Rachael. I thought I would start off with the traditional French crepe (pronounced krep, not kreyp). (Oh, and if anyone knows how to insert a circonflexe, please, let me know.) I got this recipe my freshman year of college from my friend, Eric, who had just served a mission in France. Traditionally, they're cooked using a dowel rod to turn them, but I'm not that talented so I use a spatula and my fingers.
The recipe:
Mix ingredients, in order and one at a time, using a wire whisk.
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
2 c milk
1/4 c oil
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t salt

Let sit 1/2 - 1 hour.
If I'm lucky (like I was on Saturday) the batter comes out nice and smooth. If it doesn't, just pour it through a fine metal sieve to take the lumps out.

Pour the batter onto a heated, Teflon pan to cook. I usually use about 1/3 c of batter at a time. Turn the pan to get the batter to cover the bottom and make a thin circle. The trick is to slowly peel the crepe away from the edges so that it doesn't stick. Plan on some burnt fingers. Oh, and the first crepe always comes out awful so just eat it as you make the others! If your Teflon plan has seen better days (as has mine) then pour a teaspoon of oil on after every few crepes. I actually came up with a method where I would turn the pan upside down and let gravity help me as I peeled it away with a spatula. I commented that any self-respecting Frenchman would frown at this. The Rocket Scientist promptly responded with, "Any self-respecting Frenchman is already frowning!" (There's your French joke for the week.)

After your crepes are cooked, you're ready to fill'em. We used (not-so-French) vanilla pudding and sugared strawberries. But PLEASE do not roll up your crepes. Nothing is more American than rolling a crepe. It should be folded in half, and then by thirds to make a nifty lil' triangle to hold in all the good stuff. Bon appetit!