This was contributed by the lovely Jon Henley of The Guardian. One day he’s interviewing Henning Mankell in Antibes, then he finds himself in our kitchen in Hither Green, SE London watching our family chow-down. Tant pis! (It was for a thing. More on that another time.)
Anyway, it turns out that they make a lot of pancakes in the Henley household, his wife being French, and here is their preferred recipe. Makes about 10-12 crêpes.
- 200g plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- half litre of milk
Make a hollow in the flour and break the eggs into it. Add the salt too. Start pouring the milk in SLOWLY, beating the mixture from the middle as you go. Mix until there are no more lumps.
If you’ve got time (which you never will have, obviously), put the bowl in the fridge for an hour: not essential, but somehow makes the crepes taste even better.
Heat a TINY bit of oil in a frying pan (best put some on a bit of kitchen roll and just wipe it round the pan) and when it’s good and hot use a ladle to pour a small amount — usually half/three-quarters of a ladle-full — of mixture into the pan. Twiddle so the mixture covers the base of the pan.
When it’s cooked on one side (you can see from the surface; it kind of dries out) flip it over with a spatula or if you’re feeling daring, toss it. The secret: don’t use too much mixture in for each crepe: it should just barely cover the bottom of the pan, and make sure the pan is really hot. A too-thick crepe is no good at all.)
Suggested toppings: lemon juice and sugar, maple syrup, Nutella, strawberry jam. Yum.
I’m cracking open the Nutella, Jon!