A Swaggering 'Nutella' & Banana Crêpe

As you may or may not know, I recently tried my hand at making crêpes — and if I do say so myself, they were superb. So, feeling a bit like the cat's pajamas and the bee's knees, I made them again. This time I opted for a different recipe; last time they were savory, this time they were sweet. Excuse me, rather they were crêpes sucrées.

The batter is the same premise as last time, albeit a little thinner, which means you definitely need to work fast. Ages ago I bought one of those trowel-looking things from Sûr la Table because that's what the fancy crêpe makers use. However, I still have not pulled it out of the drawer. Instead, it is much more efficient to just pick the pan up and tilt it every which direction.

My husband, who would prefer to be called Michael, has developed a keen interest in crêpe making since my 'experiment' began. Namely, he wants to flip them over in the pan. He thinks that my spatula use is a bit pathetic and something more suitable for a Nancy-Girl. Anyway, here I am making crêpes, minding my own P&Qs, when he saunters on into the kitchen and basically overtakes the operation. And it worked — he flipped them over effortlessly after a few tries. Well, La-Di-Da, I am sticking with my spatula. (I'll tell you right now, there is no way in hell I'm going to try flipping them. The pan is way too awkward and heavy for me. Besides, I have my pride.)

At any rate, I stood there laughing at him, saying, 'Well, you're pretty pleased with yourself ... walking around here with what, what's the word for it?' And he says, without missing a beat, 'swagger — it's called swagger.' And I swear, I have never heard a more apt description in my life. It was hilarious.

After the crêpes were made, we spread a little 'Nutella' on them, some sliced bananas, and we were in heaven. I had no idea that combination was so good. We assembled 3 in all — one for me, one for Michael, and one for Miss Milia. Although, Emilia preferred running around the living room with her little farm animal set, stopping by for the occasional bite, and shouting, 'Yummy!' each time. Which meant that after Michael and I polished off our own, we finished hers. I will tell you now, as divine as these are, one is enough; any more and you may be sick.

I have been referring to 'Nutella' with quotes around it because I refuse to use the actual Nutella you find here in the states. But it is what everybody recognizes as the chocolate-hazelnut spread. For some reason, the makers of Nutella have decided it is a good idea to put partially-hydrogenated oil in the American version, and I'll be damned if I'm going to buy it. So what I did was buy the brand Loacker. It is Italian and you can find it at Whole Foods or any other specialty food shop, and it is well worth the search. You can also find it on-line at http://www.spud.com/ (if you live in the Seattle area), or http://www.parthenonfoods.com/.

For the crêpe batter:

3 large eggs

⅔ cup whole milk

½ cup water

¾ cup flour

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing

1 tablespoon canola oil

For each Banana-Hazelnut Crêpe:

1 ½ tablespoons hazelnut spread

½ small, firm but ripe banana, thinly sliced

To make the batter, whisk together the eggs, milk, and water. Add the flour, sugar, salt, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and oil, whisking to remove as many lumps as possible. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat your crêpe pan over medium heat until quite hot. Lightly brush with butter and scoop about 3 tablespoons of batter onto the pan. Swirl around immediately so that the batter is evenly distributed. Pour any excess back into the bowl. Cook about 2 minutes, until lightly browned in spots. Use your spatula, and flip it over, cooking for an additional 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter, always buttering in between. You will end up with quite a stack, so remember that the extras keep nicely in the fridge for a few days until needed again.

To assemble: reheat the crêpe in the pan, quickly spread your non-hydrogenated oil Loacker, creating an even layer. Scatter half the banana slices. Fold the crêpe in half and then in quarters. Put the crêpe on a plate, arrange the remaining bananas, and serve at once. (Recipe from Williams-Sonoma's Paris: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World, by Marlena Spieler, Oxmoor House Publishers, 2004.)

Crêpes 101

Very simple to make, really. All you do is:

1. Buy a crêpe pan.

2. Stare at said pan for two years and intimidate yourself.

3. Pull out Mastering the Art of French Cooking and make the recipe for the batter. When you get to the part that says 'Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours', accidentally on purpose leave it in the fridge for a week, and then throw it away. Repeat process 3 more times. This part should take roughly another year.

4. Ask your husband to pull out the Manchego from the freezer to defrost. A few days later, unwrap the cheese to discover that he has, in fact, pulled out the Gorgonzola you bought several months before to make crêpes but then accidentally on purpose left the batter in the fridge too long. You preferred not to waste said expensive cheese — hence the freezer.

5. Pull out Savoring Italy and turn to page 110. Proceed with instructions and relish in your success. The crêpes themselves are fabulous, and (who knew) are very easy to make. Incidentally, I forgot how much I do not care for Gorgonzola cheese. And the same goes for Michael, but he has never been a fan of blue cheese.

Crêpes

3 eggs

2 cups milk

1⅓ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Sauce

3 cups milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

pinch of ground nutmeg

½ lb Gorgonzola cheese, rind removed

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

To make the crêpes, beat the eggs until foamy. Gradually add milk. In a separate bowl combine flour and salt. Gradually beat into the egg mixture. The consistency should be similar to heavy cream — if too heavy, add a little water. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Heat the crêpe pan over medium heat and brush it with a little butter. Once hot enough, spoon a few tablespoons of batter onto the pan. Immediately tilt pan to get the batter evenly spread. You mustn't dilly-dally — the batter is so thin it will cook very fast! After about a minute, take a spatula and flip it over. Cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a plate, butter the pan again, and keep going, stacking them up as you go.

For the sauce, add the milk to a pan and heat until small bubbles form along the side. While the milk is heating, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour, salt, and nutmeg, and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add the hot milk, stirring constantly. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and nearly boiling, almost 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, mash the Gorgonzola with a fork. Add half the sauce and stir until well combined.

Preheat oven to 400°, and butter a large baking dish.

Take one of the crêpes, spread a tablespoon of the cheese mixture onto it. Fold it in half, and then into quarters. Place in baking dish and continue with the rest. Pour over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake 20-30 minutes until hot and lightly browned. (Recipe from Savoring Italy by Michele Scicolone, Time Life Books, 1999.)