HERBED CREPES WITH GOAT CHEESE AND MAPLE SALMON

Crepes

1½ cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 egg yolks

2½ cups milk

½ cup fresh chopped herbs including dill, tarragon, chives, parsley

Freshly ground pepper

½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Filling

1½ pounds center-cut Atlantic salmon, skinned

½ cup Grade A maple syrup

½ cup Dijon mustard

2 cups softened goat cheese

1 small bunch fresh dill

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. For the crepes, whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the egg and egg yolks followed by the milk, herbs, and black pepper. Continue whisking until there are no visible lumps. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until it is golden brown. Whisk the butter into the crepes mixture and let the batter rest for about 15 minutes.

3. Heat an 8-inch crepe pan or small frying pan. Add the vegetable oil and spread it around the base of the pan. Carefully heat the oil until it starts to smoke, then pour the oil into a small bowl for later use if needed. Return the pan to the heat.

4. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter into the crepe pan, tilting the pan to coat the base evenly. Cook until the base is golden brown, and then turn or toss to cook the other side. Turn out the crepe onto a large dinner plate, and repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes on top of each other. Let cool.

5. For the filling, place the salmon on a small baking sheet, and pour the maple syrup over the salmon. Bake in the top part of the oven for 5 minutes, remove from the oven, and spoon any syrup left on the tray back onto the salmon. Bake for an additional 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, again spoon the syrup on the tray over the salmon, and allow the salmon to cool. Flake the salmon into small, bite-size pieces, and reserve.

Reception canapés: Herbed Crepes with Goat Cheese and Maple Salmon, Sausage Rolls, Stilton and Pecan Sablés with Grilled Pears, Croques Monsieur

6. Lay out the crepes, several at a time, with the browner side facing up. Trim the edges of the crepes to make squares. Spread each square with a fine layer of Dijon mustard. Crumble a bit of the goat cheese along the bottom inch of each crepe. Then spread some of the salmon on top of the goat cheese. Roll the crepes up as you would a jelly roll, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator, and cut into 1-inch pieces on a slant. Lay the crepes on their sides so you can see the filling, and garnish each piece with a sprig of fresh dill.

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