Happy Father’s Day to all!  In honor of Father’s Day, I am making crêpes.  Crêpes are a meal that my father made me quite often in preparation for my high school trip to France.  They bring back warm memories of dinners shared and the ensuing sugar rush.  Although he loves blueberries, I never allowed him to make them with it, because I never liked them prior to a couple years ago (what was wrong with me?).

My high school trip to Paris was a decade ago now, but I still remember walking by a crêpe stand in every arrondissement, or neighborhood.  I remember the deliciously alluring smell that would take you several blocks off course just to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Crêpes are served throughout France today, with crêperies filling each city, but these thin, sweet/savory pancakes originally developed in western France.  The area, called Bretagne, could not grow crops of their own due to the rocky landscape.  When buckwheat was introduced, it took to the harsh countryside.  The people of Bretagne ground it down, spread it very thin on a hot surface, and the crêpe was born.

French Crêpes with Blueberry Compote and Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd

• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Blueberry Compote

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 long strips lemons zest (use a potato peeler)
• 2 cups blueberries
• Juice from ½ fresh lemon
• Handful of fresh mint leaves

Crêpes:

• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Additional butter for cooking

First, start with the lemon curd.  Whisk together all ingredients except the butter in a medium-sized saucepan.  Once combined, add in butter and cook over medium-low heat.  Whisk for 5 minutes, or until it thickens and starts to bubble.  Remove from heat and chill for at least an hour.

Next, make the batter for the crêpes.  In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients.  Do not overmix!  Flour is unforgiving if overmixed.  Once the batter is just mixed, cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Following the crêpe batter, make the blueberry compote.  Make a simple syrup by boiling the water, sugar, long zest pieces, and mint in a saucepan.  After 5 minutes, discard the mint leaves and the zest.  Add in the blueberries and simmer, stirring occasionally.  After 5 minutes, the blueberries will start to burst.  Remove from heat.

Finally, you are ready to cook and assemble your crêpes.  Heat a pan on medium-high until hot.  Add butter to coat the cooking surface.  Using a half-a-ladle full of batter, add it to the pan and swirl the pan around so the batter spreads thin.  Cook for one minute, or until the bottom is golden brown, then flip and repeat.  Remove the crêpe from heat and place on a flat surface to cool.  Assemble your crêpe by adding the compote and curd in the middle, the folding it up like a pocket so there is only one opening.  Add additional whipped cream if you like.

Crêpes are very important in French cuisine, so important they dedicate February 2^nd of every year to the Day of the Crêpe!