When Yellowfingers, a New York restaurant on Third Avenue across the street from Bloomingdales, first opened, about a decade ago, it had a crêpe counter. Although the restaurant still exists, the crêpe counter is long gone. I recall stopping there either after shopping or a movie for a large hot plain crêpe slathered with butter and lightly sprinkled with sugar. In anticipation of a savory crêpe, I often used to cut my shopping short or wished that a perfectly good movie would end.
Recently in Avallon, France, the first stop on a Burgundy wine tour, on a cool and rainy day, I spotted a crêpe stand on the sidewalk outside a small market. A rosy-cheeked young boy was preparing the steaming crêpes, and, of course, I sampled one. His crêpe was delicious and soothing, as are all well-made crêpes. For me they fall into the category of security food, next to potatoes.
It is comforting to note that crêpes can be made the day before using them. They can be arranged in layers with a piece of plastic wrap between every other crêpe, covered tightly, and stored in the refrigerator.
Makes 12 to 16 crêpes
¾ cup water
⅔ cup milk
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1. Combine the water, milk, flour, eggs, and salt in a blender, or beat until smooth with a whisk.
2. Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a crêpe pan. Pour enough crêpe batter into the pan to just cover the bottom of the pan when the pan is tilted in a circular motion. Brown the crêpe on both sides. Make additional crêpes in the same manner.
To the basic crêpe recipe add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves, ½ teaspoon dried tarragon, and ½ teaspoon dried chervil. Cook the crêpes as directed. Serve plain with butter or make 2-egg cheese omelets and roll up in the Herb Crêpes. Scrambled eggs can also serve as a filling for the Herb Crêpes. Serve 1 per person.
Serves 6
6 Italian sweet sausages
6 crêpes
3 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
3 tablespoons freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, plus extra butter for greasing the baking dish
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup warmed milk
½ cup diced Fontina cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Prick each sausage in several places with the sharp point of a knife and simmer in water to cover for 15 minutes, turning often.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring. Add the milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce boils and is smooth and thickens. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
3. Preheat the broiler.
4. Drain the sausages and pat them dry.
5. Lightly grease an au gratin or shallow baking dish with butter.
6. Roll each sausage up in a crêpe and place them seam side down in the au gratin dish. Whisk the sauce and spoon it over the stuffed crêpes. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and sprinkle the mixture over the top. Run under the broiler until the top sizzles and is golden brown.
Serving Suggestion: Haitian-style Braised Cabbage.
Serves 4
Roti, Trinidad’s flat bread, is traditionally filled with a curried mutton, goat, or chicken stew-like mixture. It is often rolled up and eaten in the hand, sandwich or eggroll style.
My version is a spicy chicken curry wrapped in a giant crêpe served on a dinner plate with mango chutney.
2 cups ½-inch peeled and cubed potatoes
4 tablespoons butter, plus extra for cooking the crêpes
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup diced celery
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 dashes of Tabasco sauce, or to taste
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup homemade chicken stock or canned broth, or as needed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 crêpes made in a 14-inch nonstick frying pan
1 cup mango chutney
1. Turn the oven to low.
2. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until just tender, about 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, and celery and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the curry and Tabasco and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken, broth, and parsley. Stir and bring to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to a simmer. Add the drained potatoes. Combine gently and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over very low heat until the crêpes are done. (It may be necessary to add a little more broth to the mixture. The consistency should be thick but not dry.)
4. Place the cooked crêpe on a dinner plate and spoon one quarter of the curry mixture across the center of the crêpe, then roll it up. Keep the crêpe warm in the oven. Prepare the remaining crêpes in the same manner, keeping each warm in the oven as they are made. Spoon one-quarter cup of the mango chutney over the center of each Roti and serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions: Mixed green salad with Vinaigrette Dressing and Grandmother’s Evans’ Devil’s Food Cake.