brown butter pear crepes

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Would you believe me if I told you this was my first batch of crepes, ever? Truth be told, I’ve always wanted to make crepes but I’ve let things like my impossibly high expectations get in the way. Sometimes it’s best to just throw all that out and try something, with no expectations at all.

After the first two crepe fails, I learned the rhythm of the pan, stove, and spatula. I found it easiest to watch for visual cues before flipping the crepes with a thin rubber spatula. Once the crepes were cooked, I focused on the filling – sautéed pears with brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. The topping was easy enough – maple butter glaze and a dusting of powdered sugar. Breakfast has never tasted better.

Brown Butter Pear Crepes

• Yield: 14 crepes

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Ingredients

Crepes

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Frangelico
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Butter, for coating the pan

Filling

• 1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 cups diced pears
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• generous pinch of nutmeg

Maple Butter Glaze

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt

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Instructions

1. For the crepes, cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 6 minutes. Pour brown butter into a blender and let cool to room temperature. Add eggs, buttermilk, water, flour, sugar, salt, Frangelico, and vanilla; puree until mixture is smooth. Let batter rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Heat a small (8 or 9-inch) nonstick pan over medium heat; lightly coat with butter. Add a scant 1/4 cup batter and swirl to completely cover bottom of pan. Cook until the top of the crepe looks dry and the edges start to lightly brown (about 1 to 2 minutes); loosen edges with a rubber spatula, then with your fingertips, and quickly flip. Cook for another 30 seconds, then slide crepe out of pan to cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter (coat pan with butter as needed).
3. For the filling, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add pears, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sauté until pears are tender and golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove pears from skillet to a bowl, reserving juices in skillet. For the glaze, add butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt to skillet. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let glaze cool slightly.
4. To serve, fill crepes with pears and drizzle with maple butter glaze; dust with powdered sugar. Unfilled crepes can be stacked and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Store extra glaze in the refrigerator up to a week; warm briefly before serving.

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Notes

Crepes adapted from Alton Brown

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Nutrition

• Calories: 185