What I Love To Smother On Crepes (And Why)
Crepes are one of those things that you can’t quite believe is real when you first try it as a child. You think it is going to be like a standard pancake, but it is so much more than that.
Crepes originate in France, of course, and that’s part of why they are so good. The French are sticklers for food, and obsessed with getting everything just right, using the ingredients they have available to them.
Historically, crepes were mainly a treat you’d have in the spring months, but now you can pretty much get them all year round. What’s more, the oldest versions actually used wholemeal flour (which is harder to imagine these days). But now, the majority of recipes call for white flour, eggs, and usually butter.
The question for all us crepe fans is, what should we put on top of them? I know there’s a shop selling crepes near me that absolutely rocks toppings, so it’s something that I want to explore further.
Nutella
Nutella is probably the number one crepe topping in the world right now. Everyone loves this spread, especially on crepes where it just seems to bring out the best in the underlying starch.
Nutella is essentially just hazelnut-chocolate, a pairing that works well together. However, you can make and buy different versions of Nutella if you want to make the experience healthier.
The hardest route is to create your own Nutella by essentially blending a combination of cocoa, hazelnuts, and dates in a blender. This combination means you get all the real food and none of the plant oils or sugar.
You can also buy the same thing from niche sellers online who make their own hazelnut spreads. Nutella doesn’t have a monopoly!
Fresh Berries
Alternatively, you could go down the fresh berries route. Again, this option is if you’re one of those health-conscious people who loves crepes but also wants to make them as guilt-free as possible.
The best fresh berries are raspberries. But of course, you can go with others. You could also use dried berries if you have some, provided you have some sort of sauce or ice cream to go with the crepe. It could be a bit dry otherwise.
Thawed mixed frozen berries are another option if you love tartness. These work really well.
Lemon And Sugar
For those of you who grew up with pancake day before Easter, lemon and sugar is also a great combination. When you’re young, you don’t understand why such a weird combination works, but it is all to do with the combination of sweetness and acid (essentially sweet and sour).
The best way to get your lemon is to cut and squeeze wedges yourself. You can also use a lemon squeezer if you have one lying around in the kitchen somewhere.
Another option is to buy lemon juice in bottles. These have added vitamin C to keep the lemon fresh, but they aren’t perfect, so always use them quickly and ensure they are within their use-by date.
As for healthy sweeteners, you don’t necessarily need to use conventional white cane sugar. You can also find alternative versions.
One option is blackstrap molasses. It’s widely considered to be the healthiest form of refined sugar as it comes off the sugar cane.
Even better is date sugar. This sugar is essentially just chopped up dates, so you get all that fibrous goodness as well.
Salted Caramel
Salted caramel has become something of an obsession for a lot of people. The combination of umami with sweetness is quite rare.
What’s more, it goes really well with crepes.
You can make your own salted caramel if you’re a professional chef. But if you’re just a regular person, it is probably far easier to buy it in a bottle.
Salted caramel sauces also go well with ice cream for the coolness and freshness.
Mascarpone Cheese
Adding cheese to a crepe might sound like heresy, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. It’s one of those things that needs to be tasted to be believed.
The goal is to essentially create a cheesecake-like experience on the crepe. Adding the mascarpone gives it a rich, creamy flavor that pairs beautifully with the underlying base and various sweet sauces.
If you wanted to be extra healthy, you could just use raw fruit as the sweetener. Mascarpone goes well with passionfruit, mangos, blanched pears and figs.
Savory Toppings
What about savory toppings?? Can you add them to crepes?
Well, it turns out that you can. And some people think that they are even better than the sweet versions.
Ham and cheese is the most obvious choice. Luncheon meat mixed with gooey camembert or melted gruyere is probably the best option. If you want to make it a little healthier and balanced, you could add spinach, too.
Some people also like butter-fried mushrooms on their crepes. These take on a delicious flavor that makes them incredibly snackable.
Greek Yoghurt And Honey
For a slightly sweet, slightly sour topping option, you might want to go for Greek yoghurt and honey. Greek yoghurt is great because it provides your body with the bacteria it craves while also offering a healthy tartness that’s hard to get with other dairy products.
Honey is another nice addition. You wouldn’t normally think about combining the two on a crepe, but the combination really works surprisingly well.
Bananas With Chocolate Sauce
Finally, you could top your crepe with bananas and chocolate sauce. Combining the two can be a great way to really improve your overall experience.
Bananas give the crepe a richness and gooeyness that’s hard to find elsewhere. It makes the whole experience more fun and interesting.
When you add chocolate, it heightens the sensations even more. The chocolate flavors can be quite intense and mix nicely with the banana and perhaps sugar.
So there you have it: some of the things that I love to put on top of crepes. It’s worth spending a Saturday morning on.
