Crepe Filling?

I made Jon some crepes this evening. I filled them with bavarian cream and dusted them with a little powdered sugar. It was the first time I had ever made crepes. He really loved them.

I found lots of filling recipes using fruit but Jon doesnt like any fruit. I was wondering if you guys had some savory filling ideas?

Janie, for openers, next time you're at the library see if they have, or can get on the ILL, Mable Hoffman's book Crepe Cookery. It's filled with all sorts of recipes, including many savory ones.

Basically, you can use anything as a filling that the crepe will wrap around. And that's pretty much anything. You could, for instance, make a thick sawmill gravy, and use it as a filling instead of pouring it over biscuits. Or use a Sloppy Joe filling.

Think in terms of the fillings used in ravioli, blintzes, sanbusak, and similar dishes.

Something else to consider are crepe cups. Take a finished crepe and fit it into a regular sized muffin tin. Then put your filling inside it, and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crepe browned and stiff enough to hold it's shape. Just makes a different presentation.

Anyway, here's one of the recipes from the Hoffman book:

Chicken Saltimbocca Crepes

10 thin slices cooked ham
5 slices mozzerella, halved
10 cooked crepes
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 small tomato, finely chopped
Seasoned salt
2 tbls grated Parmesan
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

Place one slice of ham and a half slice cheese on each crepe. Top with chicken and tomato. Sprinklw with seasoned salt. Fold over right and left side of crepe and roll up.

Combine Parmesan with bread crumps. Dip rolled crepes in butter, then in breadcrumb mixture. Heat in shallow baking pan at 350F, 20-25 minutes.

Crepes can be rolled and coated ahead of time and kept in the fridge until heating them just before serving.

Here's an example of the crepe cups I referred to:

Turkey Mushroom Quiche Crepe Cups

24 cookped crepes
2 cup finely chopped cooked turkey
2 (2 1/2 oz) cans sliced mushrooms
4 slighly beaten eggs
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cps grated cheddar

Line greaswed muffin pans or custard cpw with crepes. Place turkey and drained mushrooms in each. Sprinklw with cheese.

In a small saucepan combine soup and milk. Heat just to boiling, stirring constantly. Gradually stir soup mixture into eggs. Pour soup mixture over cheese.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until filling is set. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve hot.

from Mable Hoffman's "Crepe Cooker"

My Mom would make blintzes as a special treat when we were growing up. These are merely a central European version of crepes. The pancakes are filled, folded, and either pan fried in butter or baked.

The rolding is simple. The sides are brought in towards the middle, and then the pancake is rolled. Very similar to making eggrolls.

My favorite were her potatoe blintzes. But she made all kinds, both sweet and savory. Here are a few, all of which will work with your crepes:

Potato Filling

1/2 cup minced onions
4 tbls butter or chicken fat
2 cps mashed potatoes
1 egg yold
1 tesp salt
Dash cayenne

Lightly brown the onions in the butter. Stire in the potatoes, egg yolk, salt and cayenne. Let cool ten minutes

Cheese Filling

2 cups drained cottage cheese*
1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbls melted butter
2 tbls sugar (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Beat the cheese, egg yolk, slat and butter together. Add the sugar or lemon juice if using.

*I've use ricotta instead of the cottage cheese, and mixed them half & half. It's all good.

Meat Filling

2 cups ground cooked meat (or chicken or turkey)
2 tbls grated onion
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbls minced parsley

Mix all ingredients together.

Janie, I haven't tried it, but it occurs to me that the filling used in my Pork & Olive Finger Pies would likely work as a crepe filling. I've made it with pork, chicken, and venison, btw, so there's lots of room to play:

Pork & Olive Finger Pie Filling

1 lb ground pork
2 tbls unsalted butter
1 med onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbls fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbls flour
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup beef stock
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 large green Ialian olives, pitted and coarsely chopped (I sub black
olives, like Kalmata, when using chicken)
1/4 cup minced parsley

Cook the meat in a hot skillet, breaking it up, until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. You may have to do this in two batches.

Add the butter to the skillet and reduce heat to moderate. Add the onion and cook with the meat until the onion is transluscent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add the wine and lemon juice and simmer until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Sprinklw the flour over the meat and cook, sirring, until the mixture is thick and pasty, about 2 minutes more.

Gradually stir in the chicken and beef stocks and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer. Season with the pepper. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the olives and parsley. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Let cool completely.

Can be made 1 day ahead and refregierated overnight.

Brook offers some great ideas, janie...

I've told this story before, but I was the chef at a hotel once and we had a huge Sunday Brunch. A dear 90 yr. old man was the chef there years before me- and every Saturday night he would come into the kitchen after we were closing down from restaurant service and banquets, and he would sit on a stool for hours with the help of one "go-fer" and he would make 100's of crepes that we used for brunch the next morning. We used them for desserts and also for blintzes, like Brook describes.

The most popular savory blintz we made was ricotta, spinach and smoked salmon.

The most popular savory crepe was a cremed chicken one...

Most popular sweet one was peaches & cream cheese.

Also- my Dad's wife makes a simplified version- fills them with warm stove-top vanilla pudding then spoons any variety of canned pie-filling across them...

Crepes

Cheese Filling
1/2 pound Cheddar Cheese -- cut into 4 long strips

Breadcrumb Coating
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons milk

Mustard Cream Sauce
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon white pepper


Place 1 strip of cheese on top of one crepe. Keep at least 1 inch from the edge.
Roll up and tuck in corners so it will not leak when frying. Do likewise with all.

Prepare breadcrumb coating: blend milk and eggs together, then place flour, egg
mixture, and crumbs in separate containers in that order in a row. Take each
pancake and cover well with flour, then egg, then roll in crumbs.

Fry in cooking oil until puffy and golden brown on all sides. Fry slowly. Serve
with mustard cream sauce.

For mustard sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; add flour and stir
until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth and half-and- half
gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and
beginning to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, lemon juice, and
pepper. Keep warm. Arrange on a serving dish and top with sauce.



Asparagus Crepes


1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
24 asparagus spears, cooked and drained
* SAUCE:
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
Paprika




For batter, combine milk and egg in a blender; cover and process until blended. Add flour; cover and process until blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat a lightly greased 8-in. skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter into center of skillet; lift and tilt pan to coat evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed.
Place six asparagus spears on one side of each crepe; roll up. Place seam side down in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
In a saucepan, whisk egg yolks and water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a metal spoon or until the temperature reaches 160°. Whisk in the butter, lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Pour over warm crepes; sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 servings.

Seafood Crepes

Yield: 24 crepes

For the crepes:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups milk
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan

For the filling:
2 cups white wine
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup crab
1 cup baby shrimp, chopped
2 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

For the crepes:
Place the flour and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk, egg, vegetable oil, and butter. Heat a nonstick pan or crepe pan over moderate heat. Brush the pan lightly with butter.
Pour 1/4 cup of the crepe batter into the center of the hot pan and tilt it in all directions. The batter should coat the pan in a light covering. After about 30 seconds, the bottom side of the crepe should be lightly browned and the crepe should be ready to be flipped. Shake the pan in order to release the crepe, then turn it by using a spatula or the flip of your wrist. Cook the crepe for an additional 15 to 20 seconds and turn it out onto a plate. Repeat this process with the remainder of the crepe batter. Use a round 4-inch cookie cutter to cut the crepes into hors d' oeuvre sizes.

For the filling:
In a small saucepot, bring the white wine to a boil and reduce by half. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Mix the cornstarch together with the cold water and whisk it into the cream and wine mixture until thickened. Let cool. In a large mixing bowl, place the crab, shrimp, and chopped egg and toss together lightly. Fold in the thickened cream mixture and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the parsley.

To assemble:
Place a heaping tablespoon of the seafood filling in the upper left hand side of a crepe. Fold the crepe in half and then fold it in half again. Continue this process until all the crepes are filled, or all the filling is used. Serve the crepes at room temperature.

Ham & Asparagus Crepes Recipe

Crepes:
1 cup milk
3 eggs
2/3 cup flour

Filling:
12 slices of ham
Sliced Cheddar cheese
Canned asparagus

Mix milk, eggs and flour in blender. Cook in crepe pan. Makes 12.

Cheese Sauce:
3 tbsp. melted butter
3 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar
White pepper

Lay crepes flat. Place thin slice of ham on each, 1/3 slice of cheese, 2 slices of canned asparagus. Roll up and place in a 9 x 13 pan. Cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Brown the last 5 minutes.

Serve 2 on plate with cheese sauce.

Cheese Sauce:
Microwave first three ingredients until smooth. Add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese and a touch of white pepper.

Delicious ideas- ALL, mama! Yum!

OMG! These are all wonderful.
Thanks to all.

does anyone happen to have any breakfast crepe filling ideas? I am making crepes tomorrow morning but I don't know what kind of filling to use. Any ideas?

try jam and cream cheese mixed wih a bit of sugar or confectioners' sugar

melt some butter and add brown sugar and cinnamon, stir in some cream - top crepes with bananas and sauce

sweetened berries or fruit of choice

oh those sound great!! I didn't make them this morning... we woke up to late! but we wull be having them tomorrow