Lemon Meringue Crepes

Mastering Authentic Crepes & Galettes

This book is a beautiful tribute to the crepe. So versatile, they can be savory or sweet. Filled with just about anything, and even the crepe itself can be made and shaped differently. Serve them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or even a snack.

Mastering Authentic Crepes & Galettes has step by step photos, with tips and tricks to help you make the best crepes.

Crêpes and Galettes are a French food specialty that are enjoyed around the world. Originally a “peasant” food, because they required few fresh ingredients, crêpes and galettes are now enjoyed as both a delicacy and street food.

With 50 recipes from Bertrand Larcher, this book is a must for the crepe lover in your life.

How to make

Though there are three parts to this recipe, don’t let that frighten you off. Each part is easy to make, and can be made ahead. So, all you have to do is assemble them on the day you want to enjoy them.

And these fancy dessert or brunch crepes would be a welcome addition to Christmas brunch, Mother’s Day, or Easter brunch!

The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.

Make the meringue:

Room temperature egg whites will whip better and get more volume than cold eggs. Separate the egg whites as soon as you take them out of the fridge, then keep the whites on the counter for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature.

Using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or a whisk, beat the egg white while gradually adding the confectioners’ sugar and granulated sugar.

Pro tip: if using a hand mixer to beat the meringue, place the bowl at the bottom of the sink. That way, when the batter splashes out, it splashes out into the sink and is much easier to clean up than on the walls.

Begin whipping on low, gradually increasing speed to medium high. Whip for about 7 to 15 minutes. The meringue should look thick and glossy, and keep a soft peak once you remove the beater.

Using a pastry bag or a tablespoon, place the mixture in small mounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I flattened mine so they were all about the same height. There’s really no need to make them look fancy, once they’re baked you’re just going to crumble them.

Bake for 6 hours, until the meringue is crispy. Let cool.

These meringues will remain crispy for up to two weeks if kept in an airtight container at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. You can stack the pieces with layers with parchment paper separating them. They can be frozen for longer storage, up to 2 months in the freezer in an airtight container.

Make the lemon curd:

Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a heatproof bowl until the mixture lightens in color.

Place the mixture over a saucepan of simmering water and add the lemon juice.

Tip: When cooking the curd, the temperature of the water should not be too hot to avoid scrambling the egg mixture.

Cook, whisking, until the curd is thickened. Whisk constantly until custard thickens and a thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160°F, about 5 minutes (do not boil). If you don’t have a candy thermometer, wait until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Add the butter and stir until melted and the texture is creamy. Set aside in the refrigerator. The mixture will thicken in the refrigerator a bit.

Lemon curd can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the crepes

The recipe for the crepe batter makes more than you’ll need for the lemon meringue crepes.

If using an 8-inch skillet, you’ll get about 12 crepes. If using a 10-inch skillet, you’ll make about 8 crepes.

I recommend making the whole batch and cooking them all up. You can use leftover crepes for breakfast the next day, or really for any meal!

Leftover unfilled crepes can be stacked with parchment paper in between in the fridge in a plastic ziptop bag for up to three days. Let the crepes stand at room temperature about an hour before filling or serving.

Make the crepe batter

Break the eggs into a bowl. Add the sugar. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until the mixture lightens.

Melt the butter. Add it to the batter.

Add 1 cup of the milk and mix well. Gradually add the flour, whisking until blended.

Add the remaining milk. Mix well. It is now ready to be used.

Tip: if there are any lumps, strain the batter through a fine mesh sieve.

Cook the crepes

To cook crepes, choose an 8 to 10-inch skillet with a nonstick surface, a flat base and low sides to make it easier to turn the crepe.

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. To grease the skillet, use an oil that can tolerate high heat well and has a neutral taste, such as grapeseed oil. Spread a fine layer of oil on the skillet using a paper towel to avoid having too much fat.

Crepes can also be made on a crepe maker. Heat the crepe maker to 430° F (220° C) and grease as directed.

Pour and spread about ¼ cup for an 8-inch skillet or about 6½ tablespoons for a 10-inch skillet of the batter evenly. Immediately spread the batter by making a circular motion with your wrist to tilt the pan so you get a thin crepe.

If the batter does not adhere to the skillet, too much oil was used. The batter needs to spread evenly over the entire surface of the skillet for uniform cooking.

If the temperature is too low, the crepe will be very pale. The first crepe allows you to check that the cooking temperature is correct.

Flip crepe over & plate it

For this step, you can flip the crepe or turn it over more gently using a spatula (use one that won’t scratch the skillet’s non-stick coating).

To flip it, start by making sure the crepe is not sticking to the skillet. Next, hold the skillet by the handle with both hands, then tilt it away from you and give a flick of the wrist upward to flip the crepe onto the other side. This may take a little practice.

Cook the second side for about 1 minute, just until dry looking.

Remove the crepe from the skillet. Brush the crepe with some of the melted butter.

Use the spatula to fold the crepe into a fan shape.

Spoon one-quarter of the lemon curd on the crepe, then garnish with crumbled meringues.

Repeat the above steps for the other crepes.

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