the upscale pancake

My half-French, half-Texan family has an odd and delicious holiday tradition... seven days after tamales on Christmas Eve, my dad whips out a very thin, flat disk of a pan, mixes batter, and makes fresh crêpes. We pour champagne, open a jar of Nutella, sit around the kitchen island, and wait for our New Year's Eve treat -- a piping hot, fresh, oh-so-slim crêpe.

In Paris's always bustling Les Halles, you can scarcely throw a stone without hitting a street vendor offering crêpes (usually by shouting) to passersby, and I could scarcely resist buying one, no matter what time of day or what I'd just eaten. On the streets, Parisians eat them "avec beurre et sucre" (butter and sugar), folded six times, and tucked in a cone of paper, which is typically tossed on the streets in a crumpled mess... Paris is not renowned for its cleanliness. And in a French kitchen, the edges of crêpes are folded inward like a burrito over fillings both savory and sweet -- coulis, berry jam, chicken, vegetables, you name it.

But my favorite crêpes are still my dad's, smeared with the heavenly goodness of Nutella. The edges are crunchy, lacy, and golden, the center slightly eggy and soft. Ah! Perfect for breakfast... or lunch... or dinner... I think crêpes should be a Saturday morning tradition in the Boone household.

Sweet Crêpes

2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix well. Dip a paper towel in more oil and rub it all over a frying pan on medium-high heat (I prefer using a smaller, 8-inch pan). Let the pan get very hot, then pour a little bit of the batter onto the pan, about 2-3 tablespoons. Pick up the pan and swirl the batter around so it covers the bottom of the pan in a very thin layer. Place back onto heat, and flip onto a plate when done. They cook very fast, less than a minute, so the second you see that the liquid batter has turned solid, remove them from the heat!

And before you cook another one, be sure to re-grease the pan. If you like, you can lay wax paper between each crêpe and keep warm in the oven.

If you want to make savory crêpes, nix the sugar and vanilla and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.