French Tennis Treat

The finals at Roland Garros, the French Open in Paris, are happening this weekend. Over the past two weeks I've flipped between coverage of the games on the red clay courts and the various pagantry of the Queen's Jubilee fetes, desperately wishing I was there and not here (see my earlier post about France and you'll understand).Tennis is probably the one sport I am an avid fan of.  As a child I played tennis at my grandparents' country club in Decatur every morning - a quick lunch of grilled cheese and it was time to hit the pool.  I even ventured to teach tennis at a summer camp in Vermont one summer, but as I've gotten older and lived in busy city centers, my own game has fallen off.  I've never been one to get up early enough to nab the precious few free courts in the city.  So instead I watch the drama on TV (and occasionally in person) - the grunts, the satisfying sound of the ball on strings, the outfits.

When I lived in San Francisco the finals of the men and women in Paris started at 6am local time.  Undeterred, I had a game plan of my own. I prepared the crepe batter the night before and woke up early to prepare myself a French themed treat to watch the matches with.  For me this means crepes with butter, sugar and lemon sprinkled with berries and a strong cup of cafe au lait to wash them down.

Garnish with whatever you'd like.  Some inspiration from the Parisian crepe stands I stop at for a snack when I'm there include, nutella, chocolate sauce, peanut butter and banana, honey, strawberry jam - or go savory with egg and cheese with ham or some sliced pears, prosciutto and brie.  Really, only your imagination limits you.French Crepes

makes 10 crepes

1 cup milk

1/4 cup cold water

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted plus more for the skillet

Whisk together the milk, water, eggs, flour and salt vigorously (a blender could be useful here) until it's smooth.  Now add the melted butter and whisk again. Refrigerate the batter for one hour.

Heat a non-stick skillet and brush with melted butter (or use a non-stick spray).  Ladle out about a 1/4 cup of batter and swirl it around the pan quickly to form an even, thin layer covering the surface.  Cook for about 30-45 seconds until it sets, bang the pan to help loosen the crepe, and quickly flip it over. Cook for another 30 seconds and fish it out - allowing it to cool on a plate (under a kitchen towel so they don't dry out).

Fill with the topping of your choice and fold into a neat triangle. Bon appetite!