Personalize your crêpe with your desired toppings, such as strawberries or Nutella, and dust with powdered sugar. Anya Kennelly / Daily Nexus

When I was younger, my mom decided to move our family from California to a tiny town in the west of France – much to my sister and I’s shock since none of us spoke French. Nonetheless, after a couple of French lessons, we were whisked away to the land of the Eiffel Tower and baguettes. We thought we might be moving to Paris, full of glamorous fashion, but our magical trip landed us in the middle of the countryside in a village with less than a thousand people. We had to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture, but the holy grail of the nerve-wracking first few months was food, as we were not used to living somewhere where the nearest grocery store was a 20-minute drive away. There were so many sweets to try, but none so enticing as the crêpes that our friend made for us. The crêpes were incredible because not only did we move to France, where delicious pastries were abundant, but we moved to the birthplace of crêpes: Brittany. Crêpes became our go-to. Every snack time or sweet craving was answered with this deliciously simple treat.  

Bastille Day is France’s national holiday, commemorating the day that helped start a revolution for independence. Much like the Fourth of July in the United States, France has blue, white and red festivities full of summer activities and fireworks. The town of Brittany threw a big party along the river with games and food, ranging from potato sack races to the local bar cart. Every 14th of July, my sister and I would stuff our faces with galettes and crêpes. So now, while we may not have the potato sack races in the French countryside, my family makes crêpes as a part of our Bastille Day celebration. We use the same recipe that our family friend graciously gave us in those early days of adapting to French life, and have always found the outcome delicious. 

Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 25 crêpes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons sugar 
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of milk 
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 2 spoonfuls of the topping of your choosing

Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl by combining the flour, salt and sugar.
2. In another bowl, combine the eggs and milk. Add the melted butter to the bowl and whisk together the wet ingredients. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with dry ingredients and mix until smooth. If it’s still very lumpy, keep on mixing or use an electric mixer.
4. Lightly oil your pan and place it on the stove at medium heat. 
5. Pour a thin layer of batter into a flat pan and roll it around in a circle until it covers the surface. If you are struggling, try using a spatula to help flatten the batter.
6. Let the crêpe cook for around 30 seconds or so, and flip it to the other side for 15 seconds. 
7. Take your crêpe off the pan and onto a plate. Continue stacking the crêpes until you finish the batter or have your desired amount of crêpes. 
8. Then take your crêpe and don your desired topping: Nutella, lemon and sugar, chocolate, jam, caramel, butter, etc. My personal favorite is just the classic Nutella!
9. Fold the crêpe, add powdered sugar or a garnish of your choice and enjoy!

If you don’t want to eat them all at once, no worries. You can either store the batter in the fridge, or make all of your crêpes and store them in the fridge for up to a week! These crêpes are the perfect celebration for any occasion, but especially for this special French holiday!