Strawberry Crêpes

Golden, paper-thin crêpes might look difficult to make, but they're just pancakes, and you know you can handle pancakes. The trick is to buzz up the batter in a blender to make sure it’s perfectly smooth, and then let it rest for 20 minutes before making the crêpes.

Fully ripe strawberries are naturally sweet and fragrant, but you can elevate the flavor further by tossing them in a light dressing made from honey, lemon, and an optional splash of Lillet Blanc, a citrusy French aperitif wine. Served for breakfast or dessert, this dish is sure to impress.

Why Do You Rest Crêpe Batter?

The resting period for crepe batter is crucial, so don’t skip it. It hydrates the flour and allows the eggs to marry into the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients for Strawberry Crêpe Batter

Chances are, you have most of the ingredients needed to whip up this simple crepe batter. There are just seven ingredients total, eight if you count the 1/3 cup of water.

The recipe calls for whole milk, eggs, granulated sugar, salt, flour, lemon zest (from one lemon, though you could skip this ingredient if you discover you’ve run out of lemons, or, if you just aren’t crazy about the taste of lemon in your pancakes), and butter.

What's in Honeyed Strawberries? 

Making the honeyed strawberry topping is easy and ideally should be done at least 15 minutes before serving and up to 30 minutes. For this, you need:

• 2 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
• honey 
• kosher salt 
• lemon juice
• Lillet Blanc (optional)
• whipped cream, for serving 

If you've chosen to omit the zest for the crepe batter, you could replace the 1 1/2 teaspoons of juice called for here with water, and the optional Lillet Blanc.

If you don’t have Lillet Blanc, a French aperitif wine, on hand but you want to add a little zip, you can substitute another sweet wine or liquor like St. Germain and Cocchi Americano.

How To Melt Butter for Strawberry Crepes

Solid butter melts easily on the stove or in the microwave. The important thing is to avoid burning the butter.

Butter’s low smoke point means you want to melt it slowly over a low heat. If choosing to melt the butter on the stove top, simply add the butter to a small, heavy saucepan and gently cook it over a low heat until it’s no longer solid.

The microwave method is also straightforward, though the key here is to keep a close eye on things so your butter doesn’t spurt and splatter, leaving you with a big mess to clean up.

All you need is 25 to 30 seconds, but microwaves vary in terms of power, so start off with less time and increase it if you need to.

Using a microwave safe bowl, place the two tablespoons of butter in the base, and cook on high. If the butter is mostly melted and just a few solid pieces remain, go ahead and stir the warmed, melted butter until the solid pieces have melted away.

Why We Love This Strawberry Crepe Recipe

First of all, we love any recipe that takes advantage of strawberry season. This one highlights the strawberries with a twist that seems fancy—homemade crepes!—but is actually quite easy to make.

In addition, this recipe uses a blender to blend the crepe batter together, so there’s little cleanup involved and even less elbow grease.

Plus, it’s versatile. Serve it for a brunch gathering on a Sunday or for a midweek breakfast when your family could use a little pick-me-up. Or, make it for dessert, in which case, be sure not to skip the homemade whipped cream.

Editorial contributions by Stacey Lastoe.