One of my favorite stories about crêpes involves my childhood friend Mimi’s graduation dinner from USC. After serving an incredible dinner,  Mimi’s mom, Claire, presented Crêpes Suzette for dessert. She had prepared the crêpes in advance, and when she was ready to serve them, she dipped them into the orange butter sauce, then added them to a large skillet with a generous amount of liquor. Claire flambéed the liquor and served the beautiful dessert still flaming. 

To me, Claire represented everything sophisticated and refined. I could easily imagine her reaching up to touch her pearls in surprise and shock. So it was funny when she unintentionally got us all a little tipsy. As we enjoyed the delicious Crêpes Suzette, we discovered that not all of the liquor had been burned off, as we found ourselves giddy with laughter. I still remember the sound of Claire’s voice as she said, “Oh my!”

A few years later, my Mom found a treasure at a swap meet on Valley Blvd in the town of Rialto—an unlikely location for a French Copper Crepe Pan. Worn from years of use (my sister Lorelei had to replace the wooden handle), this pan has since been used to create many delicate, thin pancakes that were served for breakfast and after-dinner desserts.

Uncommon Cook Book – Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• ¾ C Flour
• 1 T Sugar
• 1/8 t Salt
• 4 T Melted butter (additional butter for cooking pancakes)
• 1 C Milk

Directions

• In a blender, combine eggs, sugar, and milk, and blend until well mixed.  
• Slowly add flour and salt. 
• Add melted butter to the mixture.
• Let stand for 1 hour or longer.  The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. Add more milk if necessary.
• In a crepe pan, add a thin coat of butter, then add ¼ cup or less of batter, swirling the pan to create a thin crepe.  
• Cook for one minute, and then flip briefly, cooking the other side. 
• Stack crêpes with parchment paper strips to make it easier to remove when serving.
• Wrap in foil if not served immediately. They can be frozen for up to three months.
• Items that can be served with crêpes: fruit, whipped cream, whipped cream cheese, ricotta with lemon zest