Full question
I made crepe recipe featured in Feast. The crepes stayed very pale and did not brown in the same way as those shown in the photo on the web page. I used 3 tablespoons of batter per crepe and the heat was low enough so the batter could flow and coat the 8-inch skillet. Perhaps due to my lower heat, I cooked each crepe longer than the directions instructed. I flipped the crepes when the edges were dry and crisp, and I could flip them easily. They just never browned. What could be the possible causes of pale crepes? Also, I got 13 crepes out of this recipe instead of 6, as suggested in the recipe.
Our answer
Nigella's recipe for Crepes (from FEAST) makes a minimum of 6 crepes and these can be used in Nigella's Crepes-Cannelloni recipe (also in FEAST). Any extra can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen tightly wrapped in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil for up to 3 months. Defrost frozen crepes overnight in the fridge. Crepes reheat very well in a microwave or can be used for Crepes Suzette.
The crepes will brown more if they are cooked over a higher heat. Often the first one or two crepes can be seen as "testers", allowing you to adjust the heat of the pan as necessary. However if the pan is too hot then the batter will set quickly and not spread across the bottom of the pan in an even layer. So you may have to adjust the pan temperature up and down slightly until the crepes are cooked to your liking. A heavy cast iron skillet is more difficult to cook crepes with as it retains heat very well, making small adjustments to temperature more difficult so if possible use a frying pan with a thinner base.
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