French Pancakes
(Crepes)

French pancakes or Crepes are popular all over France, they can be filled with fruit, jams, honey and sugar using the sweet batter recipe, or they can be filled with cheese or meats using the savoury batter.

The secret to making good french pancakes (crepes) sweet or savoury is to use a heavy metal frying pan. It's definitely worth buying a special heavy based metal pan. A 'Skillet' is what the french use, it's very versatile and will last a lifetime if looked after.

Before you use your new pan, wash it thoroughly, dry it and fill it with coarse salt, put it on a low level heat until the edges of the salt go brown. Throw away the salt and fill the pan with oil and heat gently till the fat starts to smoulder. Tip out the oil and wipe. Now you can start to make your crepes.

Try to keep that pan only for making crepes and you will have good results time after time.

Top Tip, when putting oil into the pan to cook the batter, dip the end of a piece of kitchen roll into some oil and wipe the pan with it, there should be enough oil to cook the crepe. The pan should be well oiled, but not so the oil can run round the pan.

Sweet Batter (Pate Sucree)

Makes about 10-12 pancakes

Ingredients

* 3 eggs
* 40g or 1 1/2 oz of caster sugar
* 250g or 8 oz of flour
* pinch of salt
* 2 teaspoons of melted butter or oil
* 500ml or 17 fl oz of milk
* 2 teaspoons of rum or cognac optional.

Method

* Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, salt, and butter or oil.

* mixing all the time add the milk a little at a time, beat until smooth

* leave for up to 1 hour before cooking, which is when you can add the alcohol if you want.

Savoury Batter (Pate Salee)

Ingredients

* 250g or 8 oz of flour
* 4 eggs beaten
* 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
* 6 teaspoons of melted butter or oil
* 500ml or 17 fl oz of milk.

Method

* put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a hole in the middle

* put in the eggs, salt, and butter or oil

* whisk in the milk a little at a time until you have a smooth paste

* Leave the batter for up to 1 hour before you use, if possible!