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...
Posted By: Mama Mangia
Sep 10 # 7 of 14
Crepes
Cheese Filling
1/2 pound Cheddar Cheese -- cut into 4 long strips
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.
Posted By: Mama Mangia
Sep 10 # 8 of 14
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.
Posted By: Mama Mangia
Sep 10 # 9 of 14
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.
