Crêpes: For the enthusiastic diner, the thought alone induces a Pavlovian-esque salivation, but for most who have considered cooking them, crêpes conjure up images of burned batter and battered egos—a fruitless foray into a French cuisine shrouded in mystery. Nonetheless, while brainstorming ideas for this week's episode of ""What's in the Fridge,"" I decided that demonstrating a crêpe recipe (along with the appropriate fillings and side dishes) might provide some motivation to, some small confidence booster for those who have forever feared to try to cook like the French. Sticking to the true French tradition, I started off with a pound of butter, some quality vin blanc, and a fridge full of FRESH ingredients. After much experimentation (most of which occurred on camera), I wound up with a savory serviette piled high with shrimp and portabella stuffed dinner crêpes, a brown- sugar glazed vegetable sauté, and an assortment of god-sent, chocolate-laden dessert crêpes. Bonne chance!
Begin this French cooking adventure by making your crêpe batter. Combine one cup of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Then, slowly whisk in two tablespoons of melted butter. Cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour while you prepare the crêpe filling. When it comes time to cook the crêpes (presumably when you time everything correctly, and your filling and vegetable sauté are about finished), grease a small, non-stick pan with butter and heat on medium to medium high. Pour enough batter into the pan to create a thin layer on the bottom and let it cook until you can see the batter solidifying on the top side. Then, flip the crêpe and cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
To make the dinner crêpe filling, begin by preparing the shrimp. Peel one pound of raw shrimp (NOT ready-to-eat cocktail shrimp!). Next, finely chop the cloves of one head of fresh garlic and place them into a large frying pan containing approximately two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Heat the pan on medium high to sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes (make sure it does not start to burn). Promptly add the peeled shrimp and season with approximately one tablespoon of black pepper. After two minutes, flavor the shrimp with the juice of half a fresh squeezed lemon and continue cooking until the shrimp turn an orangeish-red color (total cooking time approximately five minutes, depending on size of shrimp). Transfer the shrimp and garlic to a plate and reserve the pan for making the cream sauce.
To prepare the mushrooms, clean 1/2 pound of fresh baby portabella mushrooms with a damp cloth or vegetable brush and slice thinly. Add the sliced mushrooms to a pan (a different pan than you sautéed the shrimp in) containing approximately two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil heated on medium high. Season the mushrooms with black pepper and sauté until tender (about five minutes).
With the shrimp and mushrooms sautéed, the time has come to create the paprika cream sauce. Begin by creating a roux; a thickening agent composed of butter and flour. Melt six tablespoons of salted butter in the pan you sautéed the shrimp in and slowly add in two tablespoons of flour. Vigorously stir this mixture over medium high heat until it takes on a golden brown color and loses the flavor of raw flour. Next, slowly add two cups of heavy whipping cream, whisking to ensure that the flour in the roux does not clump. Once the mixture heats thoroughly, turn the stove to medium and add 1/3 cup of dry white wine, 1 tablespoon of black pepper and the juice of 1/4 freshly squeezed lemon. Also, slowly stir in 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and allow it to melt and combine well with the other ingredients. Once the Parmesan has melted, stir sautéed shrimp, garlic and portabellas back into the sauce. Lastly, add 3/4 tablespoon (some might prefer only 1/2 tablespoon) of sweet paprika to the sauce, turn the burner to low and allow it to simmer. At this point, be sure to taste the mixture and adjust flavors to your own preferences.
If you wish to increase the health quotient of your crêpe meal (even if only slightly), prepare a vegetable sauté of carrots and yellow squash. Chop one pound of carrots and two yellow squashes into 3 inch sticks, and place the carrots in a pan containing six tablespoons of butter. Sauté on medium high until tender (maybe five to seven minutes) and then add squash and sauté for another two minutes. Stir in three to four tablespoons of brown sugar (according to preferences), season with black pepper and allow to simmer for a few more minutes.
Directly before you are ready to plate the crêpes, brush slices of sourdough bread with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper, and toast them under the broiler.
To plate the crêpes, place over a bed of mixed greens and fill them with the shrimp and portabella cream sauce. Drizzle some more sauce and top with a spoonful of chopped pimentos. Arrange the vegetable sauté and toasted bread on the plate and you are ready to serve.
If you have any crêpes left over after dinner, fill with the following simple chocolate and strawberry mixture. Combine 12 ounces of chocolate chips with three tablespoons of olive oil and melt in the microwave (stopping and stirring every 30 seconds). Thinly slice fresh strawberries and fill crêpes with the chocolate and strawberries. Top off with a drizzle of chocolate and a dollop of whipped cream, and you will never again want to pay 11 dollars for dessert at a fancy French restaurant. Bon Appétit!
Nothing But Crêpes Shopping List
Crêpe Batter (makes approximately 10 crêpes)
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp melted butter
Shrimp and Portabella Paprika Cream Sauce crêpe Filling
1 pound raw shrimp
1/2 pound baby portabella mushrooms
1 to 3/2 head fresh garlic (depending on preference)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for sautéing)
Juice of one fresh lemon
6 tbsp salted butter
1-2 tbsp flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Black pepper (to taste)
Brown Sugar Glazed Vegetable Sauté
1 pound carrots
2 medium yellow squash
6 tbsp salted butter
3-4 tbsp brown sugar
Black pepper (to taste)
Toasted Baguette
1 quality sourdough baguette
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for brushing)
Black pepper (to taste)
Chocolate and Strawberry Laden Dessert crêpe Filling
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (avoid cheap conventional brands)
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound fresh strawberries
Whipped cream
