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dine in WITH Mary Welp The Skinny on Crêpes By Mary Welp Illustrations by Carrie Neumayer Here's a Christmasmorning breakfast recipe that's sure to be a hit: crêpes with orange sauce and mascarpone. 76 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 12.13 I cannot count how many times over the years people have asked me either for a good, reliable crêpe recipe or where to buy the best crêpe pan. Te answers are a tribute both to simplicity and frugality: 1.) Crêpes are merely very thin pancakes, and 2.) All you need is the heavy-bottomed non-stick pan you already have in your kitchen. Most folks, upon hearing this, show not just surprise but doubt, if not disdain, and get that unmistakable look in the eye that says, "I'm going to go ask Martha Stewart." Go right ahead. Martha will tell you the same thing, as will Ina Garten. I mean, if someone on your holiday list has requested a $300 crêpe pan from Williams-Sonoma, who am I to shout, "Don't do it!" But I am shouting it, right on this page. Here's why. You know how you sometimes have to toss out the frst pancake in a batch? (OK, not toss it, but maybe feed it to the dog or wrap it up to put in the toaster the next day?) Often, the frst pancake in a batch does not reach the perfection of the rest of the pancakes. Te pan, the pancake, the spatula, and the cook all needed a pregame warmup. Well, the same thing is true of crêpes. You might even want to practice on two of them before you really get going. Te crêpe recipe I have been using for years is the same one I use for my son's pancake habit, only with twice as much milk added. Sometimes with pancakes, I add a tiny amount of leavening agent, but you don't want to do this with crêpes because all-purpose four already has a small amount of leavening in it, and you want the crêpes to be fat, fat, fat — but also light and crisp. In fact, what follows is Martha Stewart's recipe (again, from back before her time in the hoosegow). Note an essential step that makes this recipe an easy one to whip up for the family on Christmas morning or the day after (the day after anything, really). You mix it in a blender to achieve a smooth, creamy consistency as well as ease of pouring. Plus, you can even do this part a day ahead of time. When it comes time to fry and fip, the important factors are to get the heat just right under the pan, to not use too much butter, to tip the pan so that the batter spreads out, and then to be steadfast in your determination to turn that baby over in one fell swoop. It may sound complicated, but after you practice it a couple of times, it becomes second nature. Now for the best part: the flling — not just the world's most aromatic orange sauce but also mascarpone cheese. It's a heady combination. Te orange sauce is inspired by the cuisine of Morocco. December through March is the peak time of year for citrus, and so you have a wide array to choose from in produce departments, but navels are the easiest to peel and deal with quickly, and the sections stay together much more prettily than do those of some of the smaller, juicier oranges. Te Grand Marnier in the recipe intensifes their favor. You can make this sauce just before you prepare the crêpes. Ten set it aside to keep it warm, but don't overcook it. Te mascarpone, which basically is curdled cream, will be best at room temperature. Te recipe serves four, so it is easy to multiply as needed. If you are cooking for a larger group, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. As you fip the crêpes out of the frying pan, you can stack them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, with sheets in between, and keep them warm and crisp in the oven. For a larger group, you can also pass the bowls of orange sauce and mascarpone around the table. Let the crowd members do the assembly!