We recently moved. I loved our former almost-a-century-old house and cherish the memories of our four years there. Although we put a lot of TLC into making it a home we were proud of and reluctant to leave; it shrank overnight after our son John’s arrival. It’s amazing how much stuff babies “need”: activity centre + playpen + jolly jumper + vibrating chair + swing, (all on a smallish living room floor) = clutter & disarray.
Like any move, the first few days were chaotic and stressful. Our focus was on unpacking, not on cooking gourmet meals! I was hoping to “christen” my new kitchen by concocting a fabulous five-course meal complete with wine pairings… Yeah, that didn’t happen, what was I thinking?
I still wanted our “first” meal in our new home to be special, so I gave David two options: 1. spaghetti with aglio olio e peperoncino – recently his new favourite meal, or 2. crepes with bacon, syrup & cinnamon. David chose the crepes – a dish that his mother, Palmina, used to make for him.
David loves the combo of the soft warm crepe with salty crisp bacon, oozing silly-sweet corn syrup and dry spicy cinnamon. He is adamant that each of the three fillings is crucial to the success of the dish. David insists that the syrup be corn syrup – he won’t even substitute pure Canadian maple syrup – he claims it doesn’t contrast well enough with the other ingredients and "interferes" with the cinnamon – whatever that means... He only gets this passionate about a few things, usually food!
I however much prefer these crepes with maple syrup (sorry hun, but you’re not going to win this one). Just before any special day, I am guaranteed to hear David say; “Honey, I don't want or need anything, so please don’t buy me a gift, all I want is for you to make the crepes for me, o.k.?”
This recipe is awesome – you don’t have to let the batter sit (like most crepe recipes). I don’t own a crepe pan, I just use a simple non-stick skillet. We usually have these for breakfast or brunch but sometimes breakfast-for-dinner works too!
Palmina’s Crepes with Crispy Bacon, Syrup & Cinnamon
makes about eleven, 8 inch crepes
ingredients
- three eggs
- two cups milk
- one cup flour
- one-half teaspoon salt
- one teaspoon vanilla
- three tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil (plus extra to coat pan)
- one 500 gram package bacon, cooked until crispy and then roughly chopped into ½” pieces
- corn syrup or maple syrup, to taste (let me know which you prefer!)
- cinnamon, to taste
method
- Combine eggs, milk, salt, vanilla, butter (or oil) into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add flour in two or three additions and whisk until well blended and batter is smooth (you can also use a blender).
- Heat an 8” or 10” skillet over medium-high heat and brush with melted butter or oil to coat pan. Pour a small amount of batter into skillet (about one-quarter cup), immediately swirling and tilting to coat bottom. Cook until crepe loosens from side of skillet and underside is pale golden, about two minutes. Flip crepe and cook the other side for about one minute or until pale golden. Continue to make more crepes in the same manner.
- Place crumbled bacon, a drizzle of syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon in the centre of each crepe and roll “burrito” style.
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