Ah, France! The land of fromage, towering steel structures, snooty cigarette puffing, berets and-but of course-crapes. Those glorious thin pancakes that are crammed with delicious fillings and topped with just about anything, from a simple dusting of powdered sugar to an extravagant Suzette flamb.Although a visit to France is always a good time to eat a crape, the French themselves tend to devour the treat on Candlemas, the Catholic holiday celebrating the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary. The holiday falls this Thursday, making it the perfect time to make some crapes for yourself.

To make your own crapes, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Continue to cook until the butter begins to brown and immediately remove from heat. In a blender, mix together the milk, butter, eggs and the dry ingredients. Mix batter well for 30 to 45 seconds. Let the batter chill for at least an hour to allow the flour to absorb as much liquid as possible.

Frying the crapes can be a bit tricky, but with enough practice, anyone can master it. Warm up a 7- or 8-inch frying pan over medium heat, and make sure it is lightly greased with butter or cooking spray. Pour in about three tablespoons of the batter, and roll the pan around to make sure the batter is evenly spread out. After one to two minutes, the crape will be almost dry on top. Loosen the edges with your spatula, and doing the best you can, flip it over. Cook for another 15 seconds and you will have yourself a beautiful crape, ready to be filled.

Truly the trickiest part of crapes is not making them, but deciding how to fill them. A crape rolled around a filling is called a pannequet, but you can also pile high layers of crapes and a sauce to create a cake. Most importantly, don't be fooled by the assumption that you can only use sweet fillings; savory fillings can be used to create a wonderful main dish for a meal. Try caramelizing some onions with melted Gruyaere cheese. Fill with scrambled eggs and black beans, and then top with diced tomatoes and chopped fresh cilantro.

Still, if you have a hankering for something sugary, you can't go wrong with serving crapes as a desert or snack with a sweet filling. For a more exciting sweet take, you can saut fruit in liqueur and sugar. The classic version of this dish is Crapes Suzette, often considered the epitome of high class eating in the early 20th century. Crapes of that era were served with a sweet orange sauce, with brandy drizzled on top and lit to create a brief flame for presentation.

For an equally delicious alternative without the fire hazard, bananas with an almond-liqueur sauce work just as well. First, cut the bananas in half, then into 2-inch pieces. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saut the bananas for a few minutes on each side, until golden. Remove the bananas and set aside. Stir in the sugar and Amaretto, and continue to cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Roll each crape with the banana inside, and then top with the sauce and almonds.


Crapes
(Makes 16)
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 eggs
- Dash of salt

Bananas with Amaretto
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup Amaretto
- 2 bananas
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds