My mother’s French Crepe Pancakes

We love these light, French-crepe style pancakes for lazy, Sunday breakfasts.

My mother always made the best pancakes. Light. Fresh-tasting. Airy. You could eat a huge pile of them and still go  back for more. As a child, I didn’t know or care that the rest of the world thought big, fluffy pancakes were the norm. In our house, light crepes were absolutely perfect for breakfast. In fact, I still prefer them to the heavy, syrup-sucking, fluffier pancakes.

As my own little family grew, I stole the recipe from my mother and began to make it. The first time, as a newlywed, it was a total disaster. I didn’t have very good skills and I’m not even sure I measured the ingredients correctly. It was a sloppy mess. All I really remember is tears – as I was attempting to impress my new husband’s favorite sister and her husband. I think they went to get McDonald’s take-out while I pulled myself together.

It was humbling, to say the least.

Nowadays, I can whip up a batch on demand. Most of the time, they are served alone, with Griffin’s Butter Syrup and a knob of sweet cream butter. Sometimes, though, I sweeten the deal with Smucker’s Strawberry Syrup and whipped cream. That will rot even the strongest sweet tooth, but it is so good and the pancakes are so light that it just doesn’t matter.

Simple ingredients for a simple -and sinful -breakfast.

You’ll need:
One cup of all-purpose flour
Three eggs
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Dash of vanilla
Melted sweet cream butter

Keep a close eye on the pancakes, they are delicate and can burn easily. (But they are worth it!)

Using a blender or hand mixer, blend together all ingredients except butter until completely smooth. Heat a skillet or griddle until butter brushed over the surface sizzles but doesn’t burn. Pour batter onto pan to create desired sizes (we like about the size of your fist). When batter begins to solidify (you’ll see some little bubbles form, too), flip cake over. Be careful not to burn – or even brown them – too  much. Lighter is better. Serve hot with syrup and butter.

Note: you can also use this recipe AS crepes. Stuff them with fruit filling and top with whipped cream, or an omlete with some melted cheese or bechamel sauce on top.