I think people think that crepes can be too hard to make or too time consuming or maybe just too intimidated by the “fanciness’ of the notion of making a crepe.You need a special equipment, a special crepe pan or stone to cook on, special spatulas and spreaders… but you don’t need any of those things! Crepes are easy and very, very versatile! All you need is a 6”non-stick pan!
You may be more familiar with sweet dessert crepes like you would see in a crepe suzette or stuffed with French cream, berries or chocolate! Today I want to explain making a savory crepe and give an idea on how to use them. We did a baby shower last week and one of the appetizers was savory stuffed crepes. They were delicious and good looking! And a savory crepe is the perfect start for such a special event! We’ll start with the batter…
The below recipe will give you about 20 6’ crepes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- ¼ Cup roasted red peppers (pimentos will do too!)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped basil (you can substitute any herb here or scallions)
- Some salt and pepper
- 1 cup and 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- Cooking pan spray
Mix the eggs, milk, water, and flour in a bowl with a whip until incorporated and smooth. Add the roasted red peppers, basil, salt and pepper stirring those ingredients into the batter (you just want to mix them in without over mixing the batter) then stir in the melted butter (yum!) Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.
Heat that small non-stick pan. Spray pan with the cooking pan spray, if you’re cooking with gas make sure you spray the pan away from the fire because the oil in that can of spray is flammable! Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Just so you know the first crepe I make NEVER comes out right so take that opportunity to practice the flip! Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone.
My crepes were made with fresh vegetables and Swiss cheese so while your batter is in the fridge setting up but before you make the crepes get the mise en place in order! I used…
- 1 ½ pounds of asparagus; blanched (I put 2 spears in each crepe, you can do what you want!)
- 2 each yellow squash, Julienned
- 2 each red bell pepper
- ½ pound Swiss cheese; grated (you can do thinly sliced Swiss too)
Lay your crepe shells out on a work surface as shown. Put the cheese down first then the vegetables, then simple roll them up. Spray a baking pan with cooking pan spray before you put the finished rolled crepes on it. You can store the stuffed crepes in the refrigerator up to two days.
In a pre-heated 350 degree oven place crepes and cook for 8-10 minutes. The edges will crisp up a little and the cheese on the inside will melt into the vegetables.
On individual plate or a platter spoon a little sauce. Cut crepes on a bias, place on sauce, and serve.
I made a little roasted pepper sauce with some lightly whipped cream. For the roasted pepper cream…
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic (you can use ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic)
- 2-3 teaspoon fresh herbs such as chopped basil, chives, dill, tarragon… :)
- ¼ cup of pureed roasted peppers or pimentos (these are optional however the bright color really sets off the finished plate!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Put the cream in a mixing bowl and whip it a little, like you were making whipped cream. When the cream starts to thicken a little add the other ingredients.