Nutella

A few weeks ago, Max and I were watching TV and a Nutella commercial came on. The commercial, which I had never seen before, touted the health benefits of the chocolate-hazelnut spread and said it was part of a healthy breakfast. When the commercial was over, Max said, ?Is that a commercial from Saturday Night Live? That can?t be a real commercial.? When I told him I thought it was a real commercial he couldn?t stop laughing. Max wasn?t around when Cap?n Crunch was advertised the same way so he has no point of reference.

We pulled out the almost-empty jar of Nutella we had in the cupboard to see its health benefits for ourselves. Per tablespoon there is 1 gram of protein, 6 grams of fat and 11 grams of sugar. Still waiting for the health benefits? Me too. Okay, so it?s not healthy. It?s creamy, sweet perfection in a recyclable plastic jar.

I came to Nutella late in life. I had often heard people talk about it and I had seen it in the grocery store, but I abstained until a few months ago, when I saw a recipe for crêpes in the September issue of Vegetarian Times. I?d wanted to make crêpes for a while, so I was happy to find such an easy recipe. The only filling mentioned that really spoke to me was Nutella. I love chocolate and I love hazelnuts, so, I figured, it was time to dive right into the crêpes and the Nutella.

I don?t think I could eat crêpes filled with anything else now. I?ve tried. Max prefers butter and raspberry jam, so I gave that a go. Not even close. I keep saying I?m going to sauté apple slices in butter and brown sugar for the filling, but I?ve yet to do that. Nutella has a hold on me that I think only a baseball bat to the skull can break. Nah, probably not even that.

Parisian-style Sweet Crêpes
Makes 8 crêpes
From Vegetarian Times, September 2009

Don?t feel boxed in by my Nutella habit, you can fill these with just about anything you want. The recipe calls for ? cup of sugar, but I use about 2 tablespoons. The batter keeps in the fridge for a few days, so if you want to make just a few crêpes at a time you can. After refrigerating, you have to mix it up a bit before you start crêpeing. I?ve used almond milk when I didn?t have regular milk, and it was quite tasty.

You?re supposed to dip a paper towel into some canola oil and run it over a nonstick pan for greasing. (Yup, you need a nonstick pan.) Sometimes I forget to do this and pour a little oil directly into the pan. I?ve lived to tell about it, so I think you can go either way.

This is what VT says about flipping: ?Loosen edges of crêpe, and flip with thin spatula.? I haven?t yet had the courage to flip these without aid of a spatula, but if you are a seasoned flipper, have at it. I?d love to see photos or video of this, so feel free to send them.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
? cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup low-fat milk (or whatever milk you have in the fridge)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Canola oil

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Whisk in egg; mixture will be shaggy. (This is Vegetarian Times speak. I looked for a definition for this, and I couldn?t find one. It means, I think, that it will look like you need to add more egg. You don?t.) Whisk in milk ¼ cup at a time. Whisk in vanilla. Cover and chill 30 minutes or as long as overnight. (I do overnight all the time.)

2. Whisk ¼ to ½ cup water into batter to thin. (I use ¼ cup.) Lightly grease nonstick skillet pan with canola oil. Heat pan over medium-high heat.

3. Pour ¼ cup batter into hot pan, tilting pan to swirl batter so it coats bottom of pan. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until edges begin to brown and center is dry. Flip (with or without the aid of a spatula). Cook about 1 minute more.

4. Transfer crêpe to plate, and repeat with remaining batter. Before serving: Reheat 1 minute in lightly greased skillet. Spread with whatever fillings you like, fold in quarters and feed people.