If someone was asked to visualize a crepe then verbalize that mental image, it would not be surprising if they described a soft, thin pancake filled with strawberries and whipped cream. The more adventurous sort might take this one step further by stating that this is a dessert covered with some type of alcohol then lit as it is served by the maître d’ of a restaurant.
In many respects this is fundamentally true; traditional crepe filling includes fruit and cream and perhaps some syrup, while a liqueur such as Grand Marnier is frequently used to serve flaming crepes, or crepes flambé, as a specialty house dessert. But there is in fact so much more that one can do with a crepe than simply filling it with some fruit and setting it on fire!
Imaginations should simply be allowed to run wild when it comes to crepe creations. In the same manner that there are literally hundreds of topping combinations for a pizza or a sub, crepes can be filled with a vast assortment of ingredients to suit a person’s tastes or whims.
Crepes offer seemingly endless meal options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks. Crepes can be created to appease or address any number of possibilities, such as:
- Sweet and savory tastes
- Creative children’s menus
- Cultural dishes and traditions
- Dietary preferences/concerns
- And much, much more!
The bottom line? Do not be shy about experimenting with crepe fillings. There is likely one combination, or more, to please every palate and all served as easy-to-make meals that few can resist.
Sweet and Savory Crepes to Whet Your Appetite and Stimulate Your Imagination
One of the attractive aspects of a crepe is that there are no hard-and-fast rules about how it should or should not be filled. As long as the crepe itself is made properly and of sufficient quality, it can become home, albeit very temporarily, to a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, spreads, garnishes, and likely many other fixings and trimmings as well.
Here are a few suggestions to help whet the appetites and stimulate the creativity of crepe lovers and those who are perhaps new to the world of crepes as well. Let your imaginations run wild!
- Sweet Crepe Fillings – fresh fruit, jams or preserves, nut spreads, Dulce de Leche
- Savory Crepe Fillings – pulled pork, eggs, cheese, sautéed vegetables, beans, nuts
- Crepes for Children – hot dogs, mac ‘n cheese, peanut butter and bananas, Nutella
- Vegetarian Fillings – eggplant, cheese and spinach, carrot and potato, rice, hummus
And if the above are not enough enticement, consider these crepes from around the world:
- China – shredded pork, scallions, hoisin sauce
- Hungary – apricot jam, poppy seed, almonds
- India – spicy potato curry and fried onions
- Italy – prosciutto with sharp cheese or melon
- Mexico – chorizo (spicy pork sausage) and eggs
- Russia – smoked salmon or caviar and sour cream
- Sweden – fried pork and lingonberry jam
- Vietnam – pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts
Are you hungry now? One way to satisfy that urge and create your own crepe would be to visit a Crepe Delicious location near you today. Crepe Delicious is a leading crepe chain that specializes in creating world-class sweet and savory crepes made fresh while you wait.
Click here to find the Crepe Delicious location nearest to your home or work. What’s in your crepe?