Farmers’ Harvest Crepes
Crepes filled with brunchy things in a rich chicken & sour cream sauce.
I wish I had a green enough thumb to say that I raised all the harvest ingredients of this delicious breakfast/buffet dish and though I did plant green onions, they didn't grow and though we hatched chicken eggs for Easter and raised the chicks through adolescence we couldn't keep them once they started crowing (those particular ones wouldn't have laid eggs anyway.) But the crepes, other than not milking my own cow, or gathering my own chicken eggs, I have down!
And yes, I know how crepes should be made as I have eaten more than my fair share at roadside cafes in Paris and in Dinan and in Strasbourg, France, in Creperie cafes and in farmer's kitchens. And I know that I like them best with just granulated sugar inside, while my children like the banana and Nutella best. And I know that those French chefs that come to the trade as part of their birthright make them on a large round flat griddle, pour the batter on and smooth it in a circular shape with a handled wooden dowel. And I know that you don't have to know any of that to make great crepes!
In fact all you have to know is how to beat a thin batter smooth, which one of your non-stick skillets is the right size and how to execute the perfect swivel to allow the batter to run smoothly over the bottom of the pan. One of my proudest moments was when one of my husband's French friends told me that my crepes were better than her mothers.
Having loved all things French after living in Paris for two years, my husband was pleased when I tried my hand at the delicately thin "pancake" and declared them a triumph. That ability grew into a bit of a monster as my children asked for them almost daily for breakfast. It still hasn't stopped, and now my grandson requests them daily for breakfast with cinnamon sugar.
Even our dog was a raving fan. While hurriedly preparing 100 crepes for a school event where we served them with ice cream and toppings, I left 30 in a stack in the kitchen as I ran an errand, and returned to find that our puppy had eaten the entire plate of crepes. I learned a dog could survive that. I also learned that indeed I could whip up another batch and cook them in under 30 minutes - but you should have seen the kitchen after, egg shells and spilled milk festooned the counters and cupboards.
My point is, crepes are a creation you can easily master and enjoy without any fancy contraptions to help you! But if you'd rather not, you can buy them already made and perhaps spare yourself the burden of homemade ones becoming a family favorite. Either way, this is a great savory crepe recipe to try - the filling is just that - filling! The ham and swiss combination is appropriately authentic and all the rest of the ingredients would make any farmer proud to have harvested! You're entitled to feel proud of yourself as well!
Farmers’ Harvest Crepes:
8 prepared crepes
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chicken stock (or 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon bouillon)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, white and tops finely chopped
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup chopped ham
1/2 cup mushrooms, sauted in 2 tablespoons butter until soft
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 large or 2 medium potatoes, boiled until tender,
peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups shredded or finely diced swiss cheese
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
salt to taste
paprika
chopped parsley for garnish
-In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add shallot and saute for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Stir in flour and cook over medium heat, 2 -3 minutes, stirring with whisk constantly. Stir in cup of milk and mix with whisk. Add chicken stock and cook over medium heat stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes then stir in sour cream and green onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-In a medium mixing bowl, combine ham, eggs, potato, cheese, parsley and pepper. Taste for salt - add if needed, to taste.
-Lay cooled crepes on working surface. Spread a tablespoon full of sauce down the center of the crepe and then mound with about 1/2 cup of the filling. Spread the filling along the center length of the crepe, on top of the sauce to within an inch of each end. Starting at one end, roll the crepe tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down in buttered ovenproof casserole closely together.
-Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the crepes. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup swiss cheese on top and sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley.
-Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6 - 8
TO PREPARE CREPES:
= In a mixing bowl with a whisk, or in a blender, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 eggs, 2 cups milk, 3 tablespoons melted butter. Blend or whisk until smooth. (Batter should be the consistency of a thin pancake batter and should spread quickly and easily to cover the bottom of the skillet. If it doesn't, mix in more milk.)
= Heat skillet with an 8 - 10 inch flat surface. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet and spread evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot pan as you swirl the pan with your other hand, until the batter evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Place over medium to medium-high heat and cook about 2 minutes, until the top appears dry. Turn the crepe over with a spatula and cook on the other side an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Invert onto plate and allow to cool.
Pour crepe batter into hot buttered skillet.
Cook on first side until surface is dry.
Cook briefly on the other side.
To Assemble Farmer Harvest Crepes:
Fill center of crepes with mound of filling
Place filled crepes in buttered baking dish.
Top with sauce, swiss cheese and garnishes
