Makes 35-40 crêpes (count on 3 to 5 per person, for dinner and dessert)
15 minutes preparation time
30-60 minutes cooking time
For this number of crêpes, you will need about 4 cups of fillings, such as shredded cheese, goat cheese, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed spinach. For dessert, consider using sugar alone, freshly squeezed lemon juice with sugar, jam, or Nutella.
4 1/2 cups flour
1 quart milk
10 eggs
canola oil for frying the crêpes
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, and eggs. Whisk vigorously until most of the lumps are out of the flour and the batter is fairly smooth. Be patient and recruit helpers, as this will take a bit of time and energy. Alternatively, you oculd use a blender or food processor, but you'll get much less exercise.
Heat a medium-sized frying pan over medium high heat. If you have two frying pans, you may want to use both to decrease the cooking time. And the best scenario is to find someone to work that second pan so you have a cooking partner.
Add about 2 teaspoons of canola oil to the frying pan and swirl it to coat the pan completely. Add about a quarter of a cup of batter to the pan and immediately swirl it around the pan so that it leaves an even thin layer in the pan. Cook until the crêpe lifts easily from the pan when you put the edge of a spatula underneath it. Flip the crêpe and cook it on the other side until it is lightly browned, one to two minutes.
Generally, the first crêpe will not come out well, but you may still find someone willing to eat it for you.
Repeat this process until you have cooked all of the crêpes. You should not need to add more oil to the pan. After you pour in the batter and swirl, it will initially seem that the crêpe will stick and will not come loose from the pan. But after it cooks for a minute or two, you should be able to get a spatula underneath it and flip it. For a thrill, loosen the crêpe with a spatula and try flipping it in the air. The key is to have no fear. You just have to go for it.
Keep the crêpes warm in the oven as you cook them. When you are ready to serve, put them on the table alongside the fillings and let everyone build their own.