Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah to the Jews, and we tradionally eat dairy on this day. There are several possible explanations for the origin of this custom. One explanation is that before the Torah was given, no kosher dietary laws existed. Therefore, when the Jews received the Torah they didn’t possess the necessary tools to prepare kosher meat and so their first meal after receiving the Torah was dairy. Another possible explanation is that Verse 4:11 of the Song of Songs states that “milk and honey are under your tongue” and some have said that the Torah is like the milk in this verse in that it sustains us. Thus a dairy meal on Shavuot celebrates the nourishing quality of the Torah. Alternatively, the journey of the Israelites is described as one “from the misery of Egypt to a country flowing with milk and honey…” (Exodus 3:8-17). Therefore, eating dairy on Shavuot commemorates the sweetness of freedom and the new life that lay before the Jewish people.
Whatever its origins, who doesn’t like celebrating with cheesecake, ice cream and other delicious dairy recipes! We especially enjoy making crepes because you can customize your fillings to your family’s or guests tastes. Whether filled with ice cream or nutella and drizzled with chocolate sauce, to a dollop of cream cheese and strawberry preserves for a “strawberry cheesecake crepe” to a savory mix of scrambled eggs and cheddar, there are so many ways to serve crepes.
This recipe takes just minutes to prepare and can be doubled depending on how many crepes you need.
Jewitup Easy Crepes
Makes 9-10 crepes
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, stirring with whisk until mixture forms a thin, runny batter.
2. Heat a 8-9 inch diameter pan over medium heat. When hot, spread a dab of butter in the pan, then tilt to coat the surface.
3. Pour 1/4 cup of batter in your pan, then quickly rotate pan to spread batter evenly over the surface.
4. After 1-2 minutes, flip crepe in pan. Watch closely so edges do not burn. Cook on other side 1-2 minutes until golden.
5. Turn out onto plate.
6. Take 1-2 tablespoons of your desired filling (nutella here) and place on bottom half of your crepe.
7. Fold top half over bottom. The warm crepe will melt and spread your filling for you. Place a bit more filling on one side of this half moon, and fold over again.
8. Sprinkle a bit of confectioner’s sugar over the top and voila!
Note: Add a bit more butter to pan every 2 crepes or so to keep them from sticking.
