At Home With: Chef Eric Ripert's Go-To Crepe Recipe

Chef Eric Ripert is known widely for his stints on Bravo's Top Chef, his PBS show Avec Eric, and his multi-award winning restaurant, three Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City, Le Bernardin. This month, he released a memoir, 32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line. It's a peek into Ripert's youth and formative years. And though he sometimes reveals a silly side on his Instagram account, we wondered what life is like now, at home, for the accomplished chef. Here, we asked Ripert about his favorite morning rituals, beverages, and the breakfast he likes to make for his family on lazy weekend mornings.

What's your go-to weekday breakfast?
Greek yogurt, almonds, dark chocolate, two cookies, and a decaf coffee.

Any other beverages for breakfast?
After my decaf coffee, I have a coke zero. I know, I know — it's a bit early for that and it's bad for me but I don't care! I sometimes have pure jasmine tea that's made with just jasmine leaves or sometimes white lotus tea.

I've read that you practice meditation — does this happen in the morning?
Yes. After breakfast and before I go to my meditation room for an hour  — it's like a little temple in my apartment where I meditate — I water the plants, pet and talk to the cat. After my meditation, I walk to work.

What do you make if you're cooking breakfast for your family?
Sometimes on the weekends I make crêpes. I like mine with a sprinkling of plain sugar but my wife and son love theirs with chocolate spread. It's quite casual. We sit at the counter. My wife makes a green juice that she says tastes good, though I'm not sure. I stick with my decaf coffee!

Crêpes

Serves 4

Crêpe Batter:
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch salt
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, lightly browned and cooled
½ - ¾ cup milk

For the crêpe batter, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs, add the vanilla extract, zests, Grand Marnier and the butter. Whisk in ½ cup milk, adding more as necessary for a smooth silky batter. Let the batter rest at least an hour.
Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Pour a scant ¼ cup of batter into the center of the pan. Lift the pan off of the heat and tilt the pan, rotating it so that the batter fills the skillet in a neat circle. (You should have enough batter to practice once or twice.) Cook until the bottom is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Turn the crêpe with a spatula and cook just until the other side browns. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with chocolate spread, butter, sugar, or fresh fruit.