How To Make Crepes For A French-Inspired Brunch

Follow the rules of 3-2-1 batter recipe (300ml milk, 2 eggs, 100g flour for around 8 crepes). As with pancakes, your crepe-cooking adventure will likely begin with one or two ugly crepes. It’s a weird phenomenon – almost like the frying pan needs to crank out a few duds before it starts to understand what’s going on.

My memories of breakfast in France always begin with a giant bowl (not mug) of hot chocolate. I suggest you offer the same at brunch.

The below recipes serve 4: 2 sweet, 2 savoury crepes per guest. The same method applies to both sweet and savoury crepes.

Buckwheat savoury crepes (gluten and dairy free)
300ml nut milk
2 eggs
100g buckwheat flour

Sweet crepes
300ml milk
2 eggs
100g flour

Making the crepes
1. Whisk the ingredients together to form a smooth batter. Leave to sit for 30 mins to an hour in the fridge.
2. Place a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and brush with oil.
3. Poor a thin layer of batter into the pan (about ¼ ladle), and swizzle to coat.
4. Cook for 1 minutes until golden brown. Turn over crepe (using a spatula or a cheeky flip) and cook the other side for 30 seconds to 1 minute until nicely golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.
*You can make a batch of crepes up in advance and then warm through in a pan when your guests arrive.

Savoury buckwheat crepe fillings
Cheese and ham
Garlic mushrooms with herbs
Tomato and white bean stew
Spinach and feta
An egg
Garlic mushrooms, egg, spinach, feta
8 mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
Handful parsley, chopped
Handful spinach
Feta, crumbled (to taste)
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
4 eggs (1 per person)

Method
1. In a non-stick pan, heat a little olive oil. Add mushrooms and garlic, and cook on a medium-low heat for a few minutes. Stir often, until mushrooms are fully cooked, and garlic is fragrant.
2. Remove from heat, stir in parsley.
3. If eating immediately, return one buckwheat crepe back to the warm pan, place a handful of garlic fried mushrooms on top, sprinkle over spinach and crack an egg in the centre, then fold the crepe around the filling. Heat over a low heat until the egg is cooked through. Top with crumbled feta cheese. Serve immediately.
*If you’re worried about overcooking the crepe, you can fry the egg separately, before adding to the filling.

Sweet crepe fillings
Lemon and sugar
Chocolate sauce
Nutella and sliced banana
Berries and ice-cream
Caramel sauce
Chocolate sauce recipe
100 g dark chocolate
20 ml milk
20 ml cream

Method
1. To make chocolate sauce, place cream and milk in a saucepan over low heat. Heat until warm. Add chocolate and stir until melted. Set aside.
2. When crepes are ready, transfer to a serving plate, and spread with chocolate sauce. Repeat with remaining batter and sauce.
*I like to dust my crepes with light brown sugar, a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice and drizzle of chocolate sauce. I might add a few cheeky berries to the mix too.

Whisked Away is a series by food writer and enthusiast Georgia Bateman. Unable to travel like she used to, Georgia is dreaming of places and food from around the world. Her recipes are inspired by these destinations but not intended to be true representations of local dishes.