Crêpe — Thin French Pancake

Ingredients

• 250 g all-purpose flour, type 45 or 55, sifted
• 4 whole eggs
• 500 ml whole milk, added gradually
• 50 g clarified butter, melted, plus a little extra for the pan
• 30 g caster sugar
• 1 pinch fine salt
• For crêpes Suzette (optional finish)
• 1 orange, zest and juice
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 60 g caster sugar, caramelised in the pan
• 60 ml Grand Marnier, for flambéing tableside

Method

1. 1
   Sift the flour into a wide bowl and form a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the well. Begin whisking from the centre outward, drawing the flour in gradually. Add the milk in a slow, steady stream, continuing to whisk from the centre outward until the batter is completely smooth and free of lumps. Add the sugar and salt. Finally, pour in the melted clarified butter and whisk to incorporate. The batter is ready for resting when it falls from the whisk in a thin, unbroken ribbon and its consistency matches that of heavy cream.
2. 2
   Cover the batter and rest it for a minimum of one hour at room temperature, or two hours refrigerated. This is where the dish lives or dies: flour particles fully hydrate, residual gluten relaxes, and trapped air bubbles dissipate — without this rest the crêpes will be thick, elastic, and uneven. After resting, stir the batter gently and assess its consistency; it should still coat a spoon in a thin, liquid veil.
3. 3
   Set a well-seasoned steel crêpe pan or billig (28–30 cm) over medium-high heat. The pan is at the correct temperature when a drop of water dropped onto its surface dances and evaporates on contact.
4. 4
   Apply a thin film of clarified butter to the pan and pour off any excess. Ladle 60–70 ml of batter into the centre of the pan, then immediately tilt the pan in a continuous circular motion to spread the batter in a single, paper-thin, even layer across the entire surface. The first crêpe is sacrificial — it calibrates pan temperature and seasons the surface; discard or eat it.
5. 5
   Cook the first side for 60–90 seconds. The crêpe is ready to turn when the edges lift away from the pan of their own accord and show a light, even golden-brown colour beneath.
6. 6
   Flip the crêpe — by wrist-flick or spatula — and cook the second side for 30–45 seconds. The reverse side will be lightly coloured but paler than the first. Slide onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking finished crêpes with parchment between each to prevent fusing.
7. 7
   For crêpes Suzette: fold each crêpe into quarters. In a wide pan, caramelise the sugar with the butter until deep amber, then add the orange juice and zest and stir to a sauce. Arrange the folded crêpes in the sauce to warm through, add the Grand Marnier, and flambé tableside. The dish is finished when the flame subsides and the sauce coats the crêpes in a glossy, orange-scented glaze.