Spinach-Gruyere Gateau de Crepes
Here's another winner from Martha Stewart Living Magazine; February 2009. I don't know what's going on because I never make recipes from her mag but they really had some "good things" this month. Maybe she has a new food editor or something? Anyway, I had cut this recipe out and put on the maybe I'll make this someday pile which usually means I won't ever get around to it. Fortunately, Michael (sse picture below) felt like cooking again so I handed him this and since he'd never made crepes before and wants to learn he was all over it and man was it good! You can make the crepes well in advance and then when you're ready whip up the bechamel and spinach filling. I've included a little history of the crepe after the recipe which I found interesting and hopefully you will too! Enjoy!
Recipe: Spinach-Gruyere Gateau de Crepes
FOR THE BECHAMEL
1/2 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for sheet
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese (4 ounces)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
FOR THE ASSEMBLY
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
Pinch of crushed red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, for squeezing
12 small Basic Crepes
Directions
Make the bechamel: Place onion and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and cook until onion is translucent and softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup Gruyere, and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat, add nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble: Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes, and season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Let cool slightly. Squeeze out any excess liquid, and coarsely chop.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Reserve 2 tablespoons bechamel. Mix remaining bechamel and spinach in a medium bowl. Butter a rimmed baking sheet. Place 1 crepe on center of sheet, and top with 3 tablespoons spinach mixture. Repeat with remaining crepes and spinach mixture, ending with a crepe. Spread reserved bechamel on top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake until cheese melts and turns golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer gateau de crepes to a platter. Cut into wedges, and serve warm.
Recipe: Basic Crepes
To assemble: Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes, and season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Let cool slightly. Squeeze out any excess liquid, and coarsely chop.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Reserve 2 tablespoons bechamel. Mix remaining bechamel and spinach in a medium bowl. Butter a rimmed baking sheet. Place 1 crepe on center of sheet, and top with 3 tablespoons spinach mixture. Repeat with remaining crepes and spinach mixture, ending with a crepe. Spread reserved bechamel on top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake until cheese melts and turns golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer gateau de crepes to a platter. Cut into wedges, and serve warm.
Recipe: Basic Crepes
Makes thirty-two 6-inch or twelve 10-inch crepes.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups whole milk, room temperature, plus more if needed
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
Directions:
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk in butter. Strain mixture into a medium bowl, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; add more milk if needed.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups whole milk, room temperature, plus more if needed
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
Directions:
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk in butter. Strain mixture into a medium bowl, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; add more milk if needed.
Heat an 8- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, and brush with butter. Ladle or pour 3 tablespoons batter (for small crepes) or 1/3 cup batter (for large crepes) into pan, turning and tilting skillet to coat bottom evenly with batter. Cook until top of crepe appears set, bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, and center is lifted by pockets of air, about 1 minute. Run a spatula around edge of crepe to loosen. Slip spatula under crepe, and gently flip in one swift gesture. (If it doesn't land quite right, that's OK; use the spatula to unfold or rearrange it.) Cook until bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and cover. (The first one will not be your finest.) Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter as needed (every 2 or 3 crepes). Serve immediately.
This is my youngest son, Mikey, making a gourmet dinner for his mom. Isn't he cute?
The History and Origin of French Crepes
Crepes are a popular French dish that had their origin in Brittany, a region in northwest France. Originally served on Candlemas and Shrove Tuesday, crepes were meant to celebrate good fortune and family life. In rural French society, crepes are still considered a symbol of allegiance, and farmers used to offer them to their landowner. Crepes are highly adaptable and are appropriate for any meal.
For breakfast and dessert, they can be made with wheat flour, sweetened and wrapped around fruit or sugary fillings. As a hot hors d’oeuvre, crepes are frequently filled with a thick mixture of veloute sauce with mushrooms, ham, chicken, cheese or seafood. And as an entrée, crepes are filled with vegetables, cheese and meat.
Crepes were originally made with buckwheat and flavored only with salt and butter. Farms had their own creperie set up in the corner of the cellar or barn for this purpose. Crepes were first cooked on both sides using hot stones. A crepe’s airy texture is attributed from diligently whipping the batter and aerating it. Some early creperies also used eggs, cinnamon and orange flowers in the batter. Today, most crepe recipes contain dairy products.
Wafer-thin crepes are derived from their thicker brethren, galettes. These buckwheat pancakes are far older than crepes and were baked as early as the 16th century as a staple alternative to bread. Brittany’s weather conditions make growing wheat difficult, while buckwheat grows particularly well in poor soil. The early galettes were simply made and seasoned, and likely contained just buckwheat flour, water and a bit of salt.
Filled crepes can be conical in shape, like ice cream cones; folded in half or into thirds like omelets, rolled like cigars or burritos, or folded in half twice, like a square paper napkin.
Crepe Fillings and Specialty Crepes
Crepes are a highly versatile dish. The two prominent flavor distinctions in crepes are sweet and savory. Savory crepes can be eaten as a meal and contain fillings like cheese, asparagus, ham, eggs, ratatouille, mushrooms, spinach and meat. Sweet crepes contain jam, lemon and sugar, maple syrup, chocolate and almonds, profiterole, banana, pear, apple, berries, pineapple, whipped cream or ice cream.
Two famous types of dessert crepes still exist. Crepes Suzette are sweet crepes rolled or folded with an orange sauce and flambéed with curacao or a similar orange liqueur. For much of the 20th century, Crepes Suzette were the epitome of luxury dessert.
Mille crepe is a cake made up of many layers of crepes. It is a modern variation of an old French dessert called gateau de crepes. Mille crepes can be layered between anything sweet—candied apples, flavored pastry cream, whipped cream, jam or sugar—and are reminiscent of a lighter version of American stacked blueberry pancakes doused in maple syrup
Crepes Adapted for the Modern Diet
Crepe recipes are so flexible that they can be adopted for nearly any diet. Most crepes today are still made with buckwheat flour, especially savory crepes, which make them safe for people who are allergic to gluten. And any crepe can be made without eggs or milk, which is perfect for vegetarians, vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. Simply replace milk and eggs with an egg substitute, olive oil, water and rice, hemp or almond milk. Bodybuilders are known to make a ‘bodybuilder’s crepe’ with egg whites, protein powder, skim milk and flour.
Crepe Culture
Nearly every region in the world with a climate that does not allow for the growth of wheat has its own version of a French crepe. These wafer-thin pancakes provided families of all social classes an affordable, versatile food that could be eaten plain as well as filled. Later, Haute French Cuisine adapted the simple, easy crepe for decadent crepes Suzette and reinvented a familiar food for the upper crust. French crepes have existed throughout history as a grain alternative to bread. The differences in crepe filling allow them to be eaten at any meal. Just give a try to an authentic French treat that can be adapted to any diet or palate.
Thanks to The House of French Crepes (dot) com for this information.
The History and Origin of French Crepes
Crepes are a popular French dish that had their origin in Brittany, a region in northwest France. Originally served on Candlemas and Shrove Tuesday, crepes were meant to celebrate good fortune and family life. In rural French society, crepes are still considered a symbol of allegiance, and farmers used to offer them to their landowner. Crepes are highly adaptable and are appropriate for any meal.
For breakfast and dessert, they can be made with wheat flour, sweetened and wrapped around fruit or sugary fillings. As a hot hors d’oeuvre, crepes are frequently filled with a thick mixture of veloute sauce with mushrooms, ham, chicken, cheese or seafood. And as an entrée, crepes are filled with vegetables, cheese and meat.
Crepes were originally made with buckwheat and flavored only with salt and butter. Farms had their own creperie set up in the corner of the cellar or barn for this purpose. Crepes were first cooked on both sides using hot stones. A crepe’s airy texture is attributed from diligently whipping the batter and aerating it. Some early creperies also used eggs, cinnamon and orange flowers in the batter. Today, most crepe recipes contain dairy products.
Wafer-thin crepes are derived from their thicker brethren, galettes. These buckwheat pancakes are far older than crepes and were baked as early as the 16th century as a staple alternative to bread. Brittany’s weather conditions make growing wheat difficult, while buckwheat grows particularly well in poor soil. The early galettes were simply made and seasoned, and likely contained just buckwheat flour, water and a bit of salt.
Filled crepes can be conical in shape, like ice cream cones; folded in half or into thirds like omelets, rolled like cigars or burritos, or folded in half twice, like a square paper napkin.
Crepe Fillings and Specialty Crepes
Crepes are a highly versatile dish. The two prominent flavor distinctions in crepes are sweet and savory. Savory crepes can be eaten as a meal and contain fillings like cheese, asparagus, ham, eggs, ratatouille, mushrooms, spinach and meat. Sweet crepes contain jam, lemon and sugar, maple syrup, chocolate and almonds, profiterole, banana, pear, apple, berries, pineapple, whipped cream or ice cream.
Two famous types of dessert crepes still exist. Crepes Suzette are sweet crepes rolled or folded with an orange sauce and flambéed with curacao or a similar orange liqueur. For much of the 20th century, Crepes Suzette were the epitome of luxury dessert.
Mille crepe is a cake made up of many layers of crepes. It is a modern variation of an old French dessert called gateau de crepes. Mille crepes can be layered between anything sweet—candied apples, flavored pastry cream, whipped cream, jam or sugar—and are reminiscent of a lighter version of American stacked blueberry pancakes doused in maple syrup
Crepes Adapted for the Modern Diet
Crepe recipes are so flexible that they can be adopted for nearly any diet. Most crepes today are still made with buckwheat flour, especially savory crepes, which make them safe for people who are allergic to gluten. And any crepe can be made without eggs or milk, which is perfect for vegetarians, vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. Simply replace milk and eggs with an egg substitute, olive oil, water and rice, hemp or almond milk. Bodybuilders are known to make a ‘bodybuilder’s crepe’ with egg whites, protein powder, skim milk and flour.
Crepe Culture
Nearly every region in the world with a climate that does not allow for the growth of wheat has its own version of a French crepe. These wafer-thin pancakes provided families of all social classes an affordable, versatile food that could be eaten plain as well as filled. Later, Haute French Cuisine adapted the simple, easy crepe for decadent crepes Suzette and reinvented a familiar food for the upper crust. French crepes have existed throughout history as a grain alternative to bread. The differences in crepe filling allow them to be eaten at any meal. Just give a try to an authentic French treat that can be adapted to any diet or palate.
Thanks to The House of French Crepes (dot) com for this information.
3 comments:
I'm in love with this recipe! How delicious! I will definitely have to make this!
Great recipe - I love the versatility of crepes and galettes.
Thanks you guys!
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