Lemon Sugar Crepes, the French Classic

Ask anyone in France for their favorite crepe and there’s a good chance they’ll say sucre-citron: a crepe brushed with butter, sprinkled with sugar and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon. It’s the crepe sold from street stands all over Paris, and it might be the simplest thing you can make with a pan and a bowl of batter.

The secret is to finish the crepe while it’s still in the pan. The heat melts the butter and starts dissolving the sugar, and the lemon juice turns it into a thin, tangy syrup that soaks into the crepe.

Tips for lemon sugar crepes

• Use soft butter. Softened butter spreads over a hot crepe in seconds. Cold butter tears it.
• Go light on the sugar. About a teaspoon per crepe is enough. Too much and the lemon can’t dissolve it.
• Add lemon zest to the batter. It’s optional, but it makes the lemon flavor carry through the whole crepe.
• Fold into quarters. It’s the classic street-stand fold, and it traps the syrup inside. See The Art of Folding for other options.

For a fuss-free batter, mix it in the blender as in Blender Crepes. For more simple sweet ideas, see Sweet vs. Savory.