Prior to seeing the Eiffel Tower, I had never had such a strange sensation of awe and awesomeness from viewing an architectural structure. My breath was literally taken away when my friends and I came upon the Eiffel Tower.
But besides, the great architectural features of Paris, I discovered that they had sensational, utterly delicious, deadly desserts and pastries. While visiting this lovely city, I had the opportunity to enjoy a crêpe for the first time.
For those of you who don't know, a crêpe is a type of very thin pancake that is usually made of wheat flower. Crêpes are served with a variety of fillings, from the most simple with only sugar, or a flambéed crêpes Suzette as Wikipedia states (such a scholarly source).
The crêpe I ate had Nutella and banana slices in it. It was simple divine (haha)!
HEAVEN (but deadly)
After returning back to the States in May, I told myself that I was going to have a sabbatical from eating Nutella. I lasted for quite some time. However, upon returning to Knoxville during the summer, I noticed that a French restaurant called The French Market Creperie had opened up in downtown Knoxville. I knew that I was going to have to make a pit stop in there one day.
Well, a couple of weekends ago when a friend was in town for the UT/Alabama game, we went and had breakfast at The French Market Creperie. It exceeded my expectations. I must say (trying not to offend the real French crêpes), that my crêpe in Knoxville, Tennessee knocked my socks off!
The inside of the restaurant (very cute!)
The restaurant is not very big, but it has outdoor setting, which makes for a cozy/relaxing environment. The French Market Creperie serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (only Thursday through Saturday). Ingredients such as premium Cheddar or Swiss and Gruyere Cheese, imported ham, all natural turkey, goat cheese, and even eggs can be added to your crêpe. The French Market Creperie's most popular crêpe happens to be one filled with Nutella and strawberries or bananas (my favorite!). There is also a unique line of French products sold at the French Market Creperie.
For anyone who is in the Knoxville area and is now craving a delicious crêpe, the French Market Creperie is located at:
526 South Gay Street
Knoxville, TN, 37902
Store hours are:
Monday-Wednesday: 9am-4pm
Thursday-Saturday: 9am-9pm
Sunday: Closed
For those of you not in the Knoxville area, and are more industrious than me (I am not the best cook), you can try and make your own crêpe.
Here is a recipe for crêpes by Mark Bittman:
From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
The best basic crepe recipe I've used and they cook up fine without having to use a nonstick pan.
12-16 crepes
1 C all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 T sugar (optional)
1-1/4 C milk
2 eggs
2 T butter, melted and cooled plus butter (or ghee) for cooking
Whisk together all ingredients except butter for cooking until smooth. You can do this in the blender. If time allows, let batter rest for an hour or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
(I didn't let me batter rest and it was fine)
Heat an 8-10" nonstick skillet over medium heat.
(I won't use nonstick but my 8" stainless steel skillet was just fine, without chemicals)
Add a bit of butter or ghee. Stir the batter and pour in about 2 T per crepe. Swirl the batter around in the pan to get a thin layer.
When the top of the crepe is dry, after about a minute, flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds or so.
Bear in mind that the first crepe almost never works, even for professionals, so discard if necessary; there is plenty of batter.
Stack the crepes on a plate as you make them and keep warm in the oven (or do as I do and hand them out to anxiously waiting children immediately and let them do the filling).
Following my pursuits,
Price
Special thanks to:
Recipe from Mark Bittman's book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: http://sites.google.com/site/magpieeatsrecipes/Home/crepes
Google.com: http://www.google.com/
Wikipedia.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crêpe
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