A crepe is a delivery system for butter, and this recipe uses it twice. Maison Bordier makes a straightforward Breton batter, melts a dab of Madagascar Vanilla Butter onto each crepe while it is still hot from the pan, then fills it with apples browned in the same butter and finishes with salted butter caramel. Preparation runs about 30 minutes, and the batter quantities are generous enough for a crowd.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Medium
- Serves: Maison Bordier does not give a number. The batter is a full family batch.
- Active time: About 30 minutes
- Cook: Low heat on the stovetop, one ladle per crepe
- Key ingredient: 50 g Bordier Madagascar Vanilla Butter
Why this works
Bordier's Madagascar Vanilla Butter, made since 2010, is unsalted butter worked with brown sugar and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla on the wooden malaxeur in Brittany. That brown sugar is the reason it does something a plain butter and a vanilla pod cannot: it browns. Put it in a pan with cubed apple and the sugar in the butter caramelizes alongside the sugar in the fruit, so the apples take color faster and taste of more than apple.
The dab that goes on the finished crepe is the other half of the idea. A crepe straight off the pan is hot enough to melt butter instantly but not hot enough to cook it, so the vanilla stays aromatic. Then the salted butter caramel goes over the top, and the salt in it is what keeps the whole plate from tipping into sweetness. Three sweet elements would be too much. One salted one holds the line.
Ingredients
The Bordier Caramel with Salted Butter is Maison Bordier's own jarred caramel. Any good salted butter caramel sauce works in its place.
| Ingredient | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Churned Madagascar Vanilla Butter by Bordier | 50 g | About 1.8 oz, under half a 4.4 oz block |
| Milk | 1 L | About 4 cups |
| Eggs | 6 | 6 |
| Flour | 450 g | About 3 2/3 cups |
| Apples | 4 | 4 |
| Salted butter caramel | 1 jar | 1 jar |
Method
Step 1: Make and cook the crepe batter
Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Break the eggs into the center and mix gently, adding the milk a little at a time, until the batter is liquid but has a slight body to it. Cook the crepes over low heat, a ladleful at a time, waiting until each side has set before you turn it. Melt a dab of the vanilla butter onto each crepe while it is still warm.
Step 2: Caramelize the apples and assemble
Wash, peel and core the apples, then cut them into small cubes. Brown them in a saucepan with the Bordier Madagascar Vanilla Butter. Spoon the caramelized apples down the middle of a crepe and cover with the salted butter caramel. Eat warm.
Tips from our kitchen
- Rest the batter if you have time. Bordier does not call for it, but an hour in the refrigerator lets the flour hydrate and the gluten relax. Rested batter spreads thinner and tears less. If you are in a hurry, skip it and accept slightly sturdier crepes.
- Add the milk gradually, not all at once. Pouring the full litre into the well guarantees lumps. Work it in a splash at a time until you have a smooth paste, then loosen with the rest.
- The first crepe is a test. It always is. It tells you whether the pan is hot enough and the batter is thin enough. Adjust, then keep going.
- Cut the apples small and even. Half-inch cubes brown in the time it takes them to soften. Larger pieces go to mush on the outside before the center gives.
- Do not crowd the apple pan. Four apples at once will steam in their own juice and turn pale. Cook them in two batches if your saucepan is small, and let them sit undisturbed long enough to take color.
- Warm the caramel slightly. Straight from the jar it sits in a stiff blob. Thirty seconds in a warm bain-marie makes it pourable, which is what you want over apples.
How to serve it
Fold or roll, one per person, and serve them as they come off the pan rather than stacking them all and reheating. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is not traditional but is not wrong either. If you have vanilla butter left over, our Madagascar Vanilla Butter Brioche is the obvious next thing to make with it.
Where to Buy Bordier Madagascar Vanilla Butter in the US
The French Pantry ships Bordier butter across the United States in insulated overnight packaging, straight from the workshop in Brittany.
- Churned Madagascar Vanilla Butter by Bordier (4.4 oz): unsalted butter worked with brown sugar and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, which is why it browns so well.
For the rest of the range, browse the Maison Bordier collection.
Frequently asked questions
How much butter do I need to buy for this recipe?
The recipe calls for 50 g, and a Bordier block is 125 g, or 4.4 oz. One block covers it with more than half left, though if you are melting a dab onto every crepe in a full batch you may want a second.
Can I substitute another butter?
Bordier Unsalted Butter with a scraped vanilla pod comes close, though you lose the brown sugar that helps the apples caramelize. Bordier Salted Butter is a different dish entirely, though a good one, since the caramel is already salted.
Which apples should I use?
Maison Bordier does not specify. A firm apple that holds its shape is what you want here, since the cubes need to brown before they collapse.
How should I store the butter?
Wrapped, in the refrigerator, used by the date on the pack. Butter absorbs odours from whatever sits near it, so give it its own space. For longer storage, freeze the block whole and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
Does the butter need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Bordier butter is a fresh, hand-churned product and ships cold. Move it to the refrigerator as soon as it arrives.
Can I make the crepes ahead?
The batter keeps a day in the refrigerator and is arguably better for it. Cooked crepes hold a few hours under a cloth and reheat briefly in a dry pan. Caramelize the apples just before serving.
Related reading
Recipe and photograph adapted from Maison Bordier, with thanks. The French Pantry is an authorized US retailer of Bordier butter.