Sweet Crepes with Nutella

I've shared a crepe recipe before but since then, I've modified the recipe a little because I wanted a chewier, crispier crepe reminiscent of the street crepes you can get from a cart on the streets of Paris. Those are my ideal crepes and I think they're better than restaurant crepes. Restaurant crepes are more limp and delicate. I like the hardiness and portability of the street crepes much more.

Ingredients [yields 6 to 8 crepes]:
1 egg
½ cup light cream
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
½ cup flour
+ butter

Start by dumping all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together. Use an immersion blender if you want to whip up the batter quickly and eliminate lumps.

Set the batter aside to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

When you're ready to indulge, heat up a heavy cast iron pan (preferably a flat grill pan with shallow sides) over medium heat. This isn't a "swirl in a nonstick pan" kind of crepe. Instead, you want to mimic the way the street vendors make crepes and use a spatula to spread the batter thinly and evenly across the cooking surface. Prep the pan with a little butter (you only need about half a teaspoon and the purpose of the butter is to promote browning more than it is to help the batter not to stick to the pan).

Add a little batter to the pan; just pour it directly on the center and use a spatula to spread it out. I didn't get a good shot of the action because it's something that happens so quickly I didn't have time to photograph the progress. (I'm a one-woman show when it comes to food blogging.)

When the batter is opaque across the entire surface of the crepe, it's time to flip.

Spread some Nutella (or whatever filling you enjoy) across the surface of the crepe. You really only need to add filling to half, as it will get folded up. You can add fruit or jam or custard or chocolate; the sky is the limit.

Fold the crepe in half and in half again until it's a quarter circle. Tuck into a piece of parchment and dig in.

The crepe is really similar to the street crepes I've enjoyed abroad. The edges are thin and crispy, which offer a delicious textural contrast and the batter and cooking method yield a slightly thicker, chewier texture, which I love. Plus, because the batter stores well in the fridge (for a few days at least), you can make these fresh for dessert a few days in a row. Treat yo' self!

And just in case you're unfamiliar with Paris street crepes, here are a few shots from when I went to France in 2013.

Here's the recipe page: