Oh my! So I couldn’t deep-fry the crepe-pancakes. The batter would not spread properly on the pan, but floated and slid along with the little lake of butter. (See the first picture from the left below.) The pancake turned out thick and completely soggy with grease ~ not at all crisp, as I’ve hoped it would be. Never mind that I turned up the heat really high; that did not help one bit.
Then, I went overboard ~ I did not grease the pan and turned the heat really low. What happened was the batter did spread beautifully thinly and crisped up to an even golden brown over the gentle heat, but they became like smooth crisp crepes, which is not what we are trying to do. But it’s a learning experience; and each time we learn something new. Just look at the third picture. I came up with a range of textures from a single batch of batter by progressively adjusting the quantity of butter and intensity of heat.
I realized that if I could meld qualities from the different batches, I could actually have something right; ergo,
Lacy pattern + Soft Center + Crisp Edges + Crisp Surface =
Hot Butter (but just a smidgen to froth up the bottom of the pan) + Swirl the batter in the pan so the edges are thinner than the center + Lower the heat for longer exposure to heat to crisp the crepe up without burning it (whew!)
What did I do differently from yesterday as far as the batter goes? As promised, I did not beat the egg white as much; by this, I mean I doubled the recipe, beat one egg white to stiff peaks, and left the other one to rest with the unleavened batter in the fridge. The pancakes were thinner this time, but still not as lacy as Pamela’s. I may actually add leavening next time or even club soda. But that would be AT LEAST one week from now. I am actually getting tired of crepe-pancakes for dinner.
Look at the pat of butter above. That is just about what you need to fry the batter in. Note the spread of the batter below. It is as messy as what Pamela's might have looked like ~ neater than a pan with too much butter; but messier than a pan without (consult the first two pictures in the second set of pictures above). The turned over crepe has a lacy pattern, but not as distinctive as what we might have liked. Also, I am not sure if it is my heating element that does not heat up evenly or my too small pan, but the browning on the crepe is not consistent. Overall, this batch was closer to the real deal than the last, so I am giving myself a pat on the back.
ECSH: Second Attempt
2/3 c. Flour
1 t. Salt
1 c. Milk
1 t. Vanilla
2 T. Butter (melted)
2 Eggs (1 separated)
2 T. Sugar
2 T. Butter
Mix flour, salt, milk, vanilla, butter, one whole egg, and one egg yolk until smooth. Chill for at least 2 hours. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, pour sugar slowly in a steady stream until egg whites form stiff peaks. Fold whites gently into the batter.
Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Add just enough butter to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. When the butter froths, pour about 1/3 c. of batter into the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low. Swirl the pan to spread the batter thinly. Cook until the top is dry and the edge starts to brown. Turn the crepe over. Cook for a further 1-2minutes. It should be golden on both sides. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter, melting a little butter each time before crepe batter is poured into the pan.
Be careful of heat control. It is almost a painful science. The butter, at first, has to be quite hot. After you swirl the pan of batter, it must not be placed on very high heat. Turn your stove to medium-low. Temperature adjustment could take some time if you are using an electric stove, so just leave your crepe on a neighboring hot plate, while your stove cools down a bit.
From left: 1. Stove too hot 2. Temperature and timing just right 3. Stove too low / turned over too soon
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