Crepes are sheets of dough that are cooked in a slightly greased frying pan. The basic ingredients are flour, milk and egg, along with a bit of sugar or salt. The difference stems from what kind of flour is used. Generally it is wheat flour, but this can be replaced with Saracen wheat flour for blinis, which are small and thick, or with corn for Mexican tortillas and very fine wheat semolina for the briks or pastelas of North Africa.

American pancakes are thicker because a bit of yeast is added to the dough. If you want them lighter and crisper, use bear instead of milk. They can be flavored in a thousand ways, from chopped aromatic herbs if the stuffing is salty, to rum, orange water or kirsch when the stuffing is sweet.

They are easy to prepare. Add the ingredients until you have a smooth mix. Electric mixers give good results and you can always strain the dough to get rid of any lumps that might remain.

Later, add the herbs or flavoring and let sit for at least half an hour. 

To cook the crepes you can use a machine that allows you to do it right at the table, or
 a frying plan with low edges, greased with a bit of melted butter or a chunk of bacon fat on a fork. Spread a tablespoon of dough into the pan so it is nice and thin. Once it is cooked on one side, flip it over, either with a spatula or tossing in the air with a flip of the wrist, which is more risky.

Repeat this operation until all the dough is used up. But as crepes get cold quickly, it is best to stack them on a plate set over a pan with hot water or wrap them in aluminum foil.

The most typical filling for salted crepes are shellfish, fish with cream sauce or a so-called aurora sauce -- a bechamel with a bit of tomato sauce. The crepes can be shaped like a roll, like a handkerchief, placing the filling inside the cone or the shape of a bundle. Then they can be served as is or covered with sauce and slightly baked with cheese on top. One particularly good recipe calls for crepes seasoned with chopped basil and filled with shrimp and tomato puree.

As an appetizer, you can cover the crepes with boiled ham, salmon or smoked trout, or double-cream cheese, then roll them up and cut cross-wise at interval of about a centimeter. These will look like attractive snail shells and be a delicious appetizer.

The options for sweet crepes are even more varied. Creams, jam, fresh fruit with a dash of liqueur and a hot sauce of honey, caramel or chocolate are simply delicious. A very simple but appeal cake is made by alternating crepes with layers of baker's cream, dulce de leche and lemon curd or some other marmalade. Make the cake nice and tall. Sprinkle the surface with sugar and heat with an iron until it turns golden. The moisture of the filling blends in with the crepes and the result is delicious.