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Crepes hold a magic place in my heart, because in my family they were always a fancy breakfast food. Once a week, my mom would go all out and make us a great weekend breakfast. Bacon, sausage, fruit – you name it, we had it. And the star? Her famous tiger-stripe crepes. I can still see and smell the pat of butter sizzling in the pan, and the first ladle of batter swirling around the pan. The first crepe was always a trash crepe – too small, a little burned – but the rest would always come out with golden brown butter stripes in perfectly thin discs. They were the star of the table, and I would happily down them.
So, when Kaos from Comic Girls got excited about her first crepe, I could totally relate. If you haven’t seen this show, it has been an absolute treasure of anime this past season. It manages to be about cute girls doing cute things, but in a way that’s somehow refreshing and new, as it follows a main character who is trying to become a manga artist. There’s something endearing about the fact that the main character is good at almost nothing she tries to do, or, at least, that’s what she thinks. She is flabbergasted by simple things, and cowed by even the most basic tasks of her trade, yet we can’t help but love little Kaos-chan. One of her moments of awe is her first chance at eating crepes. Specifically, this double berry crepe.
Crepes are nothing new in anime, but Kaos’ absolute amazement at eating one brings fresh life into the otherwise hum-drum food. She orders a double berry crepe and is so shocked by its amazing taste, she decides to bring it into her own work. You know, I can relate. I have eaten crepes all my life, but the first time I realized they could be a little more complex than the simple ones I ate at home was when I was in Harajuku the first time. Faced with a literal wall of options (over 100 combinations!), I was forced to consider what a crepe could be like stuffed with cheesecake or piled high with fruit. It was a moment of overwhelming awe, so I know how Kaos must have felt. So many options at your fingertips – what would you choose?
Crepes are a French dessert dish, and can be as simple as the thin pancake with some syrup, or wrapped up to contain cakes and cookies. It can even be made savory with cheese and meat. It’s technically a pancake, but to Americans it’s a bit odd as it’s thin and very bendable, unlike our fluffy cake-like pancakes. I grew up eating the thin pancakes anointed with butter and apple butter, but I like crepes in many different ways.
A simple and tasty crepe is one filled with just berries and cream, like the one Kaos selected. These pancakes are easy to make – just a little flour, butter, eggs, milk, and salt, and are surprisingly easy to cook, provided you have a non-stick pan. The filling – cream and berries – requires almost no preparation, so this should be a pretty simple dish to replicate. If you want to try the dish that made Kaos so excited to draw something new, this is the recipe for you!
Click to watch the video below to see the full process.
Ingredients for Double Berry Crepe
-1 cup flour -2 eggs -1 cup milk -1/4 tsp salt -2 tbsp butter, melted -Raspberries -Blueberries -1 cup whipping cream -Dash of vanilla -2 tbsp powdered sugar -Mint (for garnish)
To Make the Double Berry Crepe
1. Make the whipped cream. Beat the cream until soft peaks form, then add in powdered sugar and the dash of vanilla. Beat until firm peaks form, then set aside in the fridge.
2. Add eggs to flour, whisk together, and incorporate milk in increments.
3. Add in salt and melted butter until you have a smooth batter (some lumps are ok).
4. Heat nonstick pan to high heat, and butter. Pour in 1/2 cup of batter and swirl around pan.
5. Flip after the first side is ready, about 3-4 minutes, or until it becomes golden brown. Make as many crepes as you like, and allow to cool before assembly.
6. Spread whipped cream in a triangle down the center of the crepe. Sprinkle with berries. Fold each edge over so that you have a folded triangle with one end open. Garnish with blueberries, raspberries, and mint.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Check in next week for another recipe. To check out more anime food recipes, visit my blog. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below! I recently got a Twitter, so you can follow me at @yumpenguinsnack if you would like, and DEFINITELY feel free to send me food requests! My Tumblr is yumpenguinsnacks.tumblr.com. Find me on Youtube for more video tutorials! Enjoy the food, and if you decide to recreate this dish, show me pics! 😀