Spectacularly Delicious

Location: Seattle.

Occasion: International Food Blogger Conference

Most Delicious Thing: Tough call, but certainly the Lemon Crepes from Anita's Crepes food cart are right up there. 

This recipe for Lemon Crepes is a real winner and happily, not too tough to turn out.  Anita, steady at the helm of her portable cart while an eager and discerning crowd awaited anxiously, had no trouble talking me through the steps for her sublime lemon crepe recipe.

I've been a sucker for a good crepe since way back. One of my better high school gigs was being a C.A. (crepe assembler) at the Magic Pan restaurant in St. Louis. Remember those? I've waxed rhapsodic before in my recipe for Orange Crepes and I know there are other fans out there too. Check out this thrilling homage to the front-of-house Magic Pan uniform. 

But back in the kitchen assembly line we toiled in standard whites somewhat enlivened by paper toques. Classy! I did learn a neat trick while working the sweet crepe station. Ripe peaches were peeled, sliced and then kept in a 7-Up bath until ready for use. It sounds white-trashy but it does set the color and texture and adds a touch of bubbly sweetness.  No one has to know.  

I fear many of the other mysteries of the Magic Pan are lost to the sands of time. In its heyday there were more than 100 locations across the nation. Sadly, the last Magic Pan shut down its patented rotating crepe wheel in 1989 in Paramus, NJ.

But back to Seattle. Anita employs those industrial-size spinning crepe wheels you see in France. My trusty pan doesn't produce that majestic size but I can state with full confidence mine are every bit as good as — if not better – the Magic Pan. So there.

I use Julia's MTAOFC recipe for crepes — why mess with perfection?

If, like me, you don't yet have a propane torch you'll want to make sure you're broiler is nice and hot, so turn it on early.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the "non public aspect" side of the crepe, as Julia puts it. Reason being is the second side always loses the beauty contest with the first side cooked. Then, a good sprinkle of sugar, into the broiler under a watchful eye, remove as soon as the sugar caramelizes. Fold, a sift of confectioner's sugar and generous plop of plain whipped cream — no added anything, vanilla, sugar, no nothing.  Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Even with my propensity to shower everything with curls of lemon zest, I kept this impulse in check so as to be true to Anita's vision.

Here's Anita's original: 

Mine look like this.

Not bad, eh?

Click here for the recipe for Lemon Crepes.

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Related posts:

1. Remnants to Rapture: Crepes a la Orange
2. BLOOD ORANGE CREPES SUZETTE
3. ALMOND CREPES WITH PEACHES AND CREAM: GLUTEN FREE RECIPE
4. COQUILLE ST. JACQUES CREPES

Written by skfsullivan on September 9, 2010 under Dessert, Restaurants.