Authentic French Crepes. Original Soissons Recipe
I am very attached to the original recipe of these crepes because my daughter brought it to me as a gift after a school trip to France. It’s a precious gift that I have cherished over the years. Therefore, my crepes recipe is the precious and original recipe of true French crepes, specifically from Soissons, one of the oldest cities in France, the ancient capital of the Suessiones (a people of Belgic Gaul) until the death of Clovis (in 511).
These French crepes are truly unique, special, and delicious and are always a big hit, I have been making them for years so they are super-tested and infallible and my guests always ask for seconds, in fact, the recipe falls into the category of my “TOP Recipes“, a truly unmissable recipe!
Contrary to what is prescribed in common crepe recipes, which say: “the pan should be greased with very little butter“, in my recipe, you always need a piece of butter for each crepe, even when flipping them, this is one of the secrets to forming the characteristic undulation/rippling of French crepes (see photo below).
Crepes are ideal for breakfast or brunch and can be filled with jam, honey, Nutella, maple syrup, cream.
During winter, I often fill them with my delicious: “Quince and Orange Jam“.
For breakfast/brunch, I also recommend: my Perfect American Pancakes, tall and fluffy are infallible or – if you’re on a diet – my “Oat Protein Pancakes“.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 10 crepes
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Authentic French Crepes. Original Recipe
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs (whole)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cognac
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed butter (for cooking)
- as needed Nutella (optional)
- as needed jam (optional)
- as needed chestnut cream (optional)
- as needed pistachio cream (optional)
- as needed powdered sugar (for decoration)
Tools
- Bowls set of Guzzini bowls in various sizes
- Mixer Philips electric, with 450 W power
- Whisk in stainless steel
- Pan non-stick crepe pan
Preparation of Authentic French Crepes. Original Recipe
Pour the flour with the sugar into a bowl, make a hole in the center and break the 3 whole eggs into it, when you have a homogeneous mixture, add the milk gradually (not all at once) taking care not to form lumps, add a pinch of salt, the vanilla, and the cognac (or Grand Marnier).
You will get a liquid batter that should be worked with the whisk for a few minutes, just enough to mix the ingredients well, because it’s important not to form lumps. Finally, add the 2 tbsp of melted butter and mix to make the mixture homogeneous.
Let the batter rest covered for at least 15 minutes.
Take a pan and melt a small piece of butter in it, when it sizzles pour in a ladle of batter, as soon as you see bubbles on the surface turn the crepe, add another small piece of butter and cook until golden (to create the characteristic undulation/rippling). Continue this method for each crepe, always adding a small piece of butter.
Fill the crepes to your taste (jam, Nutella, etc.) but they are also delicious plain simply sprinkled with vanilla sugar.
Once cooled, the crepes (or pancakes) can be stored in the fridge covered with food wrap for 24/48 hours.
The crepes can also be frozen without filling (individually, laid flat, separated by a sheet of parchment paper) for up to 3 months. When needed, take them out of the freezer and let them defrost in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours. To revive them, simply reheat them in a pan with a bit of butter and then fill them as desired
Notes and Tips
If you want to prepare the famous Crepes Suzette, a typical dessert from the Principality of Monaco, characterized by flambé cooking, proceed as follows:
Once the crepes are cooked (as per the recipe above), toss them in a pan with 150 g of sugar, 70 g of butter, the juice of 2 oranges, 50 ml of Grand Marnier, and 50 ml of Cognac.
Melt the butter and sugar over low heat with the grated zest of one lemon and one orange, then pour in the orange juice and boil to thicken the sugar, at this point, arrange the crepes folded into a fan in the pan (preferably stainless steel), let them soak up the citrus syrup, then pour the pre-heated liqueurs into a saucepan, mix and finally flambé carefully.
Place the Crepes Suzette on a serving platter and garnish them with grated orange zest, serve immediately hot with their caramelized sauce.
If you want to serve these crepes to children, skip the step where they are flambéed with alcohol and simply serve them with the citrus syrup, they will still be delicious.
Shopping Tips!!!
I quickly made the crepes with the excellent Philips electric hand mixer, 5 speeds and 450 w of power, you can find it at a great price on Amazon.
Great for cooking crepes, this non-stick crepe pan, truly exceptional!
You can purchase all the items I recommend above on Amazon, at a great price, just click directly on the respective links.
Origins and history of Crepes?
Crepes are very thin pancakes that can be sweet or savory, typical French dessert (originally from Brittany) simple and quick to prepare.
The name crêpes, comes from “crispus” meaning curly, wavy, and indeed the original crepes are characterized by a slight ripple/wave.How to store Crepes?
Once cooled, crepes can be stored in the fridge covered with food wrap for 24/48 hours.
Crepes can also be frozen without filling (individually, laid flat, separated by a sheet of parchment paper) for up to 3 months.
When needed, take them out of the freezer and let them defrost in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours.
To revive them, simply reheat them in a pan with a bit of butter and then fill them as desired
