Adapted from Fine Cooking, November 1999

Makes about 20 seven-inch crêpes

4 large eggs
1 ½ cups milk, or more as needed
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbs unsalted butter for recipe
additional butter for the pan

Traditional method:  Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, making a well in the center of the flour.  Break the eggs into the well, and pour in ¾ cup of the milk.  Beginning with a small circle, whisk the eggs and milk, gradually drawing in flour until you have a thick mixture.  Add another ¾ cup of milk and whisk until it forms a smooth batter.  If the mixture is lumpy, you can put it through a strainer.

Blender method:  Combine eggs and milk in a blender; add the flour and salt.  Mix on high speed until smooth, pausing once or twice to scrape down the side of the blender.  

Let the batter rest at room temperature about 30 minutes.  Melt and let cool 6 Tbs butter and stir it into the batter.  It should now be the consistency of heavy cream.  If it is too thick, add a little milk.  Pour the batter into a small measuring cup or pitcher with a spout so you can work more quickly when cooking.

To cook the crêpes:  You can use a small, about 7”, skillet, or a crêpe pan.  I like a small skillet with its higher sides, because I can swirl the batter around quickly and discard the excess without it spilling.  However, you may prefer a crêpe pan.  In either case, choose whatever pan size you want, because you will vary the cooking time according to its size.  If you are concerned about consuming too much butter, we have several nonstick pans we can recommend. 

Before cooking the crêpes, have the following ready:  
Plenty of softened butter, a flexible heat-proof spatula, a cooling rack, waxed paper.

Set the skillet over medium-high heat.  Heat that's too low will not brown the crêpes, and heat that's too high won't allow the batter to spread evenly in the pan, so adjust as necessary.  You want a heat that causes the batter to form a film over the surface of the pan almost on contact. 

Melt about 1 tsp butter in your pan, swirling it around until it stops bubbling.  Pour in enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan - about ¼ cup - depending on the pan's size.  Quickly tilt the pan in all directions to spread the batter evenly over the bottom and a bit up the sides.  Immediately pour any excess batter back into the bowl or pitcher.  This method of cooking will leave a thin, crispy “tail” on the crêpes, but you can cut that off after cooking if you prefer.

Cook the crêpe until the center is set and the bottom is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes.  Give the pan a good shake, or use a spatula to dislodge the crêpe from the pan, and turn it over.  Cook until the center is firm and the edges underneath are lightly browned, about 30 seconds. The second side won't brown as much as the first.  When done, transfer the cooked crêpe to a cooling rack.  Do not stack hot crêpes on top of one another, or they will become gummy.  Proceed with remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan as needed.  Once cool, stack the crêpes between sheets of waxed paper.

*Crêpes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week and in the freezer for months, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.  Defrost frozen crêpes completely in the refrigerator until they are pliable, or they may break.