| Crepes are the ubiquitous street food of Paris. The word "crepes" refers to both
the final dressed product and the thin pancake itself.
Unfortunately, no one knows the Origin of Crepes.
There are
literally hundreds of Dinner Crepes Recipes and Dessert Crepes.
Crepes can be
filled with a veritable cornucopia of ingredients, in whatever
combination the heart desires. On the streets of Paris, I am as
likely to see a grown woman with warmed Nutella smeared on her face
as I am a four year-old, both happily partaking in the wonders of
the crepes. But crepes can go wrong. Fillings can be lacking in
freshness and quality, ingredients can be too sparingly used and
worst of all, the crepes can be soggy and limp.
I pride myself on
having spent an unreasonable amount of time surveying different
crepes-making techniques, ingredients, prices, crepes and recipes
and have created a Fail-Proof How-To guide for crepe purchasing in
Paris. While I do not propose memorizing these suggestions, they
might be worth a second glance before leaving for a pilgrimage to
the crepes-making capital of the world:
- First and
foremost, the best crepes are made from traditional French Crepe
Recipes from take-away stands that fold a circular crepes in
half, and then again into thirds forming a conical shape.
Traditional Breton square crepes or crepes that require
silverware are a waste of space in the digestive tract. Crepes
of this variety are often overpriced and disappointing in both
quality and quantity;
- Lines are
telling. Paris is rife with crepes stands, but everyone has
their favorite. A line might be an indication that locals have a
particular affinity for that stand. It is our job as newbies to wait
in line and observe the workmanship to establish whether the line is
arbitrary or merited;
- Find a stand
that makes fresh crepes. Many of the stands in Paris have piles
of pre-made crepes that they reheat on the stove as needed. This
is entirely unacceptable for sweet crepes.
The BASIC Crepes Recipe batter should be poured upon ordering
and the crepes should be crispy and warm on the periphery, soft
and moist in the interior. Savory crepes often require time to
melt cheese or cook eggs. Therefore, using pre-made crepes is
understandable, but not necessarily a positive. To note: when
crepes makers reheat crepes that were pre-made, watch for added
butter used to avoid burning the crepes. This is an unnecessary
additive and can make the crepes soggy;
- Survey the
ingredients. Have the mushrooms resided in a can for several
years? Is the cheese stored in a huge industrial-sized plastic
bag? Has the sugar formed clumps? Have the ingredients been
sitting out in the sun? All of these features should be noted
prior to ordering. Subpar
products will ruin a crepes experience.
- Ratios! The
Best Crepe Recipe is when
my crepes are oozing. When I order a banana and Nutella crepe, I want Nutella to be all over my face and hands. However, this decadence is
not for everyone. Pay attention to the amount of toppings, be
willing to stay "ça suffit!" or in my case, "J´aimerais bien plus de
Nutella s´il vous plâit!" Look for crepes makers who work with your
ratios. Generally I have found that cheese and sugar are used very
generously, while Nutella, jam and meats are not.
- Look for
crepes makers that take pride in their work. This sounds silly
because "a crepes is a crepes." NOT TRUE! In France, pride is a
major player in how food is prepared and street food is no
exception. crepes makers that honestly think their product is
superior to their neighbors´ will try to convince each and every
client that their crepe recipies are the best;
- Prices for
crepes vary, but as a rule of thumb, sweet Dessert crepes with
two ingredients should be less than 3.50 euros. A single
ingredient crepe should be less than 3 euros. For savory crepes,
such as Canneloni Crepes, depending on quantity and variety of
ingredients, prices will range from 3-5 euros. Anything over 5
euros should be mind-blowing or lit on fire to be worth the
price;
- Do not be
thrown off by semantics such as galette, sarrasin, savory and sweet.
Savory crepes are those with salty fillings such as cheese, egg,
tuna, ham or vegetables. Galettes are a type of crepe whose crepe
recipe
is made with sarrasin (buckwheat). They do not have a particularly
different taste once everything is added in; the identifiable
difference is that they have a whole-wheat color. Sweet crepes are
also called sucre;
- Presentation
is crucial. Many crepes stands make crepes with ideal ratios and
fresh ingredients, but they drop the ball when it comes to
delivery. Crepes should be folded evenly with equal distribution
and ratios throughout. There should be no gaps in the crepes
from which the ingredients can fall out or leak. Some crepes
makers use rectangular crepes stoves that result in short,
scrolled crepes that I refer to as Torah crepes. I find that
these crepes are too thick and the presentation is not visually
appealing;
- Improve your
chances of having a good crepes by going to Paris´ crepes meccas. I
recommend the Rue Mouffetard, St. Michel area, Montmartre and
Montparnasse.
-Sarah Thompson,
perfectjob@paris-anglo.com
Where to Find
Crepes
Point
Chaud Express
49 Boulevard St-Germain (5th)
M: Maubert-Mutulite
From the mint tea that owner Christophe Kokkinos serves while
clients wait for their crepes to the lollipops he distributes to
children passing by, many are besotted with this man. For my
preferred chicken and cheese crepes, he melts the shredded cheese on
the crepes, then adds chicken and carefully distributes tomatoes,
lettuce, sauteed onions, olives and salt and pepper. He folds the
crepes evenly and crisps both sides, a testament to the pride and
joy he takes in his work. He also puts cheese around the edges to
burn ever-so-slightly, a small yet notable difference from most. The
result is a uniformly warm, crisp crepes that boasts a perfect
internal uniformity. Another bonus: the stand is popular among
students from the nearby Sorbonne so it is great for people-watching
while you wait.
Oroyana
36 Rue Mouffetard (5th)
M: Place Monge
A tiny crepes take-away shop, Oroyana is easily missed on a street
packed with creperies. However, it stands alone in that their crepes
eaten in-house are crowned with an extra dollop of Nutella on top of
the plated crepes (in addition to the abundance inside). I dare say
the resulting ratio of Nutella to crepes is in Nutella’s favor. They
also make flambeed crepes with Grand Marnier or Cognac.
The Petit Grec
68 Rue Mouffetard (5th)
M: Place Monge
The Petit Grec is one of the cheapest crepes joints around. Maybe
because they let clients tweak the menu and invent concoctions. I
mix goat cheese, tuna, salad and onions. For sweet crepes, the Petit Grec makes a thick homemade dark chocolate spread for which I would
gladly shell out 2.80 euros any day.
Chez Alberto
79 Blvd Montparnasse (6th)
M: Montparnasse-Bienvenue
Popular for Torah-style scrolled crepes, Chez Alberto attracts large
crowds from the Montparnasse Tower and neighboring movie theaters.
It offers thick, doughy crepes with a wide variety of fillings. It
also sells pizza, ice cream and paninis.
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