BYO Crêpe Pan
Out-of-office whole wheat crêpes and other breakfast kits
Hello Recipe of the Month subscribers! Amidst all of the craziness in the world today, I hope that you have been able to share some of the sweeter moments of this summer with friends, family, and loved ones. Have you made anything yummy for a BBQ? Brought spritzes to the park to share with neighbors? Gotten an ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles with your kids and called it dinner?
As we inch closer to the end of July, I find myself reminiscing about the trip Cullen and I took to Italy last summer during the first two weeks of August. We were warned that many places may be closed due to the Italian tradition of Ferragosto, a coordinated summer break throughout most of Italy. Although this tradition is centered around August 15th, where everything really does shut down, many Italians take off a couple of weeks around this date for rest and relaxation. They retreat to the mountains, the countryside, or the beaches, and revel in time shared with family and friends. Although Cullen and I were pretty much in vacation-mode alongside both the Italians and tourists alike, we did experience the true quiet that Ferragosto brings to the big cities on our last night abroad.
Milan was a ghost town when we arrived. Except for the throng of tourists centered around the Duomo di Milano, we barely passed anyone as we wandered around the city in the sticky summer heat. It was two hours before we finally stumbled upon an open bar. We were relieved to quench our thirst with a Campari spritz (or maybe two!), and the bartender seemed so surprised and delighted to have customers in August that he served us bottomless potato chips, mortadella sandwich bites, and olives. Lucky us!
To experience a city at rest was surprisingly beautiful. It makes me think of what would it be like if we all coordinated our summer breaks and shared a Ferragosto like the Italians do every summer?
Maria and I were talking about what defines a summer break for us, and what our version of a Ferragosto would look like. Of course the first thing we both said was “the FOOD!” Whether you are eating a porchetta sandwich during Ferragosto in Tuscany (I 10/10 recommend this), or a hamburger poolside at the Oakland Hills Tennis Club (Maria’s high school summer vacay-mode), vacation food just hits differently.
Although making an effort to explore wherever you're going this summer through local bakeries, cafes, wine bars, and restaurants is an absolute must, a fun way to create a cozy homebase while traveling can be through cooking wherever you go. If you have access to a kitchen in your vacation rental, or even a camp stove and cooler at a campsite, I think it’s so fun to make your own fun breakfast before embarking on your day. In Italy last summer, as soon as we checked into our AirBnB, we would head to the nearest market to pick up yogurt, fruit, cereal, coffee, and milk…just little things to make us feel at home when we would wake up ravenous!
Maria and her family are heading to LA for a mini Ferragosto in a few weeks, and have decided that they will be bringing their beloved crêpe pan along with a kit to make their family’s favorite crêpe recipe from her book, The Newlywed Table. Maybe they will snag some yummy stone fruit from the nearby Santa Monica farmers market to serve them with.
Even if we can’t all share a Ferragosto this summer, I hope you are able to take a break, go somewhere relaxing, and maybe even bring your crêpe pan along for the ride! :)
Whole Wheat Crêpes
In my opinion, there is no better way to start a vacation than with a delicious breakfast! Homemade lacy-edged crêpes are a festive yet simple way to make your vacation rental, or even your campsite, feel like your home away from home. Doing a little bit of the work to prepare kits, or homemade mixtures of ingredients, beforehand limits the amount of pantry items you have to buy in bulk when you get to your destination, and packing your favorite kitchen tool, such as a crêpe pan or knife, ensures a stress-free summer morning. Try making kits of your favorite pancake, cream scone, or waffle recipes this summer as well. Buon viaggio!
Makes eight or nine 8-inch crêpes
⅔ cup (75 g) whole wheat flour
⅓ cup (40 g) buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more butter for the pan
¾ cup (180 ml) milk, plus more if needed
¼ cup (60 ml) dark beer
In a medium bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, melted butter, milk, and beer. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, you’ll notice that the batter has thickened. It should be just a touch thicker than heavy cream. If it’s too thick, whisk in a little more milk.
Heat an 8-inch (20 cm) pan (preferably a french steel pan) over medium heat. Swirl in a little butter. While tilting and rotating the pan, pour in a ladleful of batter. Move the pan until the batter evenly covers the bottom. Cook just until the edges darked and look dry, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Use a heatproof spatula to lift up an edge, grasp it gently with your fingertips, and swiftly flip the crêpe over. Cook on the second side for about 10 seconds, until it browns in a few places. Transfer the crêpe to a plate. Repeat to cook more crêpes, stacking them on the plate. Add butter to the pan as needed; you shouldn't need much, maybe a small piece every 2 or 3 crêpes.
You can serve the crêpes hot out of the pan, or keep them warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven until you're done cooking. They can also be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few days, and reheated in a pan.
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Crêpe Kit Variations
Dry kit: Once you whisk the whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, and salt together, transfer to a sealable bag or container. Label, and make sure to save a photo of the recipe so you can finish making it when you’re ready for your vacation crêpes! When you are ready to make them, pour the dry ingredients into a bowl and proceed with the instructions.
BYO Batter: If you would rather pack the batter in your cooler to take with you, transfer the finished batter to a sealable container. Store in the fridge until you are ready to pack it in your cooler and set off on your adventure.
Out-of-Office Crêpe Topping Ideas
Lemon and sugar: this is the perfect on-the-go topping. Bring this variation on your next camping trip! Pack a little baggie of granulated sugar and a lemon. Squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice on a cooked crêpe and sprinkle with a spoonful of sugar. Roll up and enjoy.
Berries and jam: find a farmers market near your vacation rental and pick up some berries and local jam. Spread the jam across a cooked crêpe, fold in half and then in half again, and repeat with the remaining crêpes. Overlap the crêpes slightly to serve, and scatter the berries over the top. If you can find powdered sugar in the pantry of your vacation rental, thank the previous guest for their contribution to your breakfast, and dust the tops of your crêpes generously before serving.
Butter and Maple Syrup: if you’re like Maria, maybe you made pancake, waffle, and crêpe kits for your upcoming vacation. Lucky for you, salted butter and maple syrup (the real stuff) is the perfect topping for all three! Generously butter a cooked crepe, roll it up, and drizzle with maple syrup. Perfection.
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