For years we shied away from making crêpes because they seemed too fussy, and then we tried it and realized they’re actually very easy to make — you can whip them up in 15 minutes. And they taste just like the real thing with that wonderful light, airy texture, like the inside of a popover, and the delicate, eggy flavor that makes them perfect for both savory and sweet fillings.

In this recipe, we’ve filled them with a very simple, very quick filling of Meyer lemon and whipped ricotta. It’s so creamy and light, it tastes decadent. We love it, but all the fun of crêpes is in the customization — you can fill them with whatever you want!

Our tip: For a fun family brunch, put out a bunch of fillings, and let people roll their own crêpes. Our kids love it; they could roll and eat crêpes for hours. For the toppings, put out a variety of your favorite sweet and savory options — Nutella, bananas, jams, powdered sugar, sautéed and pickled veggies, pulled pork, and away you go!

Servings: 8

Crêpes

Ingredients

3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk, cold
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup water, cold
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, clarified and cooled
½ vanilla bean, split and seeded
1 tsp Meyer lemon zest

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth, about 10 to 15 seconds.

Pour the batter into a medium bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to a day. Note: chilling will relax the glutens in the batter, so your crêpes will cook up light and airy.

In a 7-inch nonstick frying pan, melt a teaspoon of butter over medium heat, swirling to coat the pan.

Using a small ladle, pour 3 to 4 ounces of batter into the frying pan, and swirl until the pan is covered.

Cook the crêpe for 2 minutes, or until just golden brown. Run a small rubber spatula around the edge of the crêpe to loosen it, and then flip it over and cook it for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Move the crêpe to a plate lined with parchment paper and repeat steps 3 to 6 until you’ve used up all of the batter.

Ricotta Filling

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk ricotta
2 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
1 tsp Meyer lemon zest
½ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

Directions

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until fluffed.

Spoon the ricotta filling onto prepared crepes, gently roll them up, and place them on a serving dish. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar.