Sweet Orange Crepes

What a delight to get eggs today! Eggs are so delicious, nutritious, and versatile. It seems fitting to highlight one of nature's most perfect foods in today's recipe.

Crepes are one of the easiest pancakes to make. They can be used in sweet dishes, like this recipe, or savory ones. Eat them plain, rolled, and dusted with powdered sugar; or fill them with ham and cheese or sauteed spinach and mushrooms, and fold them in half or in quarters. Dress them up with a little hollandaise or cream sauce.

Crepes make a lovely dish for breakfast, lunch, or supper. And they can turn a simple dessert, such as strawberries and whipped cream, into something elegant and special.

This recipe calls for mixing all the ingredients in a blender. Let the batter rest in the fridge for a minimum of 40 minutes. Then cook them up.

You can cook the crepes right before you use them, or in advance if you prefer. Store them in a stack, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for a day or two. Be careful when separating stored crepes, as they are delicate and prone to tearing.

Basic Crepe Recipe:

1 C milk, preferably whole
3/4 C flour
2 eggs
2 T melted butter
1/4 t salt
additional melted butter or oil for frying

1. Place all of the ingredients (except the additional butter or oil for frying) in a blender. Cover and blend for 30-60 seconds, until well combined.

2. Refrigerate for at least 40 minutes. Batter can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

3. Heat a well-seasoned 9-inch or 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Brush a little melted butter or oil on the heating skillet. When the pan is hot, pour 1/4 C crepe batter into the center. Working quickly, lift the pan over the heat and rotate the pan until the batter has spread evenly over the bottom.

4. Return the pan to the heat and cook the crepe until it is lightly brown on the bottom. The edges should pull away from the sides of the pan. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook lightly on the other side before turning out onto a plate.

5. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the cooked crepes on top of one another until you've used up all the batter (or until you've made as many crepes as you need).

As the pan continues to heat up, the handle may get very hot if it's made of metal. Be sure to use an oven mitt when holding and rotating the pan.

This recipe will make approximately 10, 10-inch crepes. Make your crepes smaller if you wish. Use a little less batter per crepe if you use a smaller pan.

For Sweet Orange Crepes:

I used 1 rounded Tablespoon of my homemade Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade (see recipe for January 6, 2012) per crepe. If you don't have any Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade, you can use your favorite orange marmalade or any other tasty jam.

Spread the marmalade or jam on the inside of the crepe. Roll up or fold in quarters. Garnish with orange zest and powdered sugar.

Five Farms provided this week's bounty:

From Underwood Family Farms: Broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, orange carrots, kale, bok choy, Easter radishes, escarole, iceberg lettuce, and parsley;

From Weiser Family Farms: Red Thumb potatoes and watermelon radishes;

From Sage Mountain Farm: Golden beet greens, Shiraz beets, mustard greens, and spinach;


From Jaime Farms: Hot-house Tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, yellow bell peppers; thyme, rosemary, green onions, red and brown onions, and happy eggs;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia: Satsuma mandarins.

Enjoy!

Shelley