Pancakes and Profits: Ode to the Crepe

Most Thursday mornings since August 2006, I've attended a weekly leads group called Leading the Way. It's at The Pancake Cafe restaurant and I just love to go. Yes, it's a challenge to get up earlier and make sure the girls are taken care of for school. And truth be told, although I'm a morning person for the most part, I do NOT spring up out of bed the moment my alarm goes off. Getting to an 8:00 AM meeting on time means waking up about an hour earlier than usual for me. Yawn.

Driving in rush hour traffic is never fun either, although I've worked out a route that avoids any back-ups.  As I drive to the once-a-week meeting, I am always grateful for the other four days of the week and the usual 30-second commute to my home office or the sunny sofa in my living room. I say a prayer of thanks for that not-so-small blessing to be able to work from home each time I have to get in the car during rush hour.

Once I'm there, however, the room is always filled with an energy and air of friendliness, welcoming and anticipation. Weekly attendance is not mandatory (although there is a three strikes in a row and you're out rule), so it's never the same exact group twice. Occasionally people move away or leave the group and other times we have visitors and new members join, so sometimes there are new faces to greet.

As we all settle into our seats, Donna, our always excellent server, takes each person's breakfast order. Eggs and toast for some, oatmeal or fruit for others, and coffee or tea only for others still. Donna always remembers to bring me an extra large glass of water with a lemon in it. And she knows my favorite usual breakfast is fruit crepes.

I have a policy when I go out to restaurants: I always try to order something I wouldn't usually make at home. The fact that I've been cooking gourmet foods at home since I was about 15 years old creates a bit of a problem for that policy to be truly enforced. There aren't many foods I haven't tried making in my kitchen. I didn't say I'm great at all of them... (pie crust comes to mind and my wonderful mother-in-law will get me whipped into shape at some point), but I'll try anything! So that, and given that my sister gave me a crepe pan last year for Christmas, might normally take these off as possibilities from the menu for me. But I love them!

Crepes bring me back to the time I lived in Paris for a semester study abroad program back in college. Crepes are the warm comfort food I could pick up on my way home from class at the Sorbonne and eat as I waited for my Metro to arrive in the chilly, damp autumn air. I can still taste the crunchy edges, sweet, melted Nutella and warm banana filling. That was before you could find Nutella here in the States at every grocery store, so it was an exotic treat back in 1990. Crepes make me happy. 

And now crepes have become part of another story in my life. The story of me, the professional, meeting with colleagues, customers, and friends to talk about business and life.

Because I've traveled coast-to-coast for speaking engagements, have people all over the world attend my webinars and teleclasses, and have worked with private clients from Europe to Canada to Australia to the UK and more, people always ask me why I go to this little local meeting so faithfully. The truth is there are a lot of valid business reasons for me to attend. I've worked with a majority of the people in the group either buying their services or being a service provider to them doing communication and speech strategy. There are more business reasons I'll discuss over on my main blog. But between you and me, a big reason is the crepes.

Here's my kids' favorite crepe recipe:

Crepes:
4 eggs
1 1/2 C milk
2 T butter, melted
1 C A/P flour
1/4 t sea salt

Filling:
Sliced bananas
Sliced strawberries
Nutella spread, about 2 T per crepe

Garnish:
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Chocolate syrup for drizzling
Fresh whipped cream

1. In medium bowl, beat eggs. Add all remaining crepe ingredients  and whisk until smooth.
2. Heat non-stick crepe pan or 7-8" non-stick skillet over medium high heat until hot.
3. Using 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop and pour just under 1/2 cup of the batter into the pan. Quickly swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly in the pan. Cook about 30-60 seconds or until the edges are just starting to brown. Flip and cook about 30 seconds on the other side. Repeat until batter is gone, storing finished crepes on wax paper lined plate with a piece of wax paper between each to prevent sticking. (They likely won't stick to each other, but better safe than bummed!)
4. To serve, using a cake frosting spreader or other flat non-sharp knife, spread about 2 T Nutella over one side of crepe (just eyeball it and be generous). Add sliced bananas and strawberries and roll into thirds (kind of burrito style without turning the ends under). Put the folds on the bottom and top with garnishes and a few extra slices of fruit.