Crepes

While in Europe recently, we fell in love with a little street vendor, in Scotland of all places, making breakfast and lunch crepes and we fell instantly in love with them. So much so, that we bought a crepe maker and are now looking for some yummy recipes. Anyone out there making crepes these days?

Nutella & Bananas... with a rum flambe (and maybe a little vanilla ice cream)! My favorite sweet crepe!
For a good savory crepe: spread on some Cream Cheese and some olive bruschetta mix and roll, chill, slice on the diagnal and serve cold... YUMMMMMM...
and don't forget Manicotti... fill with ricotta, roll it up and top with a good sauce and mozzarella...
Here's a good recipe for Manicotti Crepes...
MUCH BETTER than Manicotti made with the pasta shells you buy in the store!
Made with crepes they are nice and light and creamy...

I don't have a crepe pan, I always use a cast iron round griddle
(It was my grandmothers, she got it from her mother, and is over 100 years old, better than any non-stick pan you can buy now)...

This is a recipe I have saved but not yet tried, as I was going to use it after Thanksgiving with leftovers. Sounds good, though I would do some fresh broccoli, not frozen. You could also use chicken instead of turkey.

http://www.cooking.com/Recipes-and-More/...cipe-11425.aspx

This is also a simple sauce my Dad would make when I was growing up and use on chicken crepes. I still use it today. The previous recipe is just a fancier version of this, I think.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 can dry vermouth or dry white wine
1/4 can milk
Parmesan cheese to taste.

Heat all ingredients together.

Assemble crepes. Cover with sauce then heat a little tomato sauce and pour lightly down the center of crepes.

Thia was always a favorite growing up.

another nice sweet crepe...
Cored, peeled, sliced apples (I like to use Granny Smith's)...
sauted in unsalted butter with cinnamon & nutmeg and some brown sugar til just slightly soft...
and some black currants (or any dried fruit, like cranberries/blueberries/cherries/raisins, etc)...
and roll the crepes...
add some rum to the mixture, if desired... or flambe the final rolled crepes, even better...
sweet crepes lend themselves to rum or cognac or brandy flambe's really well...

When I flambe them, I like to sprinkle the tops with a LITTLE white sugar...
(maybe a scant 1/4 tsp. on top of each rolled crepe, no more, probably less)...
so it just starts to carmelize into a fine light (tan'ish) crust...

When we were kids,(long ago), my grandmother made them and just dusted them with sugar and cinnamon and rolled them up like cigars. They were called "palachinki" and delicious!

I can relate to that as my mom use to make what she called "thin pancakes" which were basically crepes before their time and wonderful. She also made incredible fruit pies from scratch (wish I had her talent) and use to flatten out the extra pie dough, top it with sugar and cinnamon and bake it. This was an added bonus as we ate the thin dough as soon as it came out of the oven but had to wait until after dinner for the pies. Marie Calendars had nothing on my mom's pies!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

I've been making homemade Manicotti since I was 8 years old. My Mom taught me and her Great Aunt taught her. I have never eaten those long hard shells they sell in a box. I also use a griddle to make the crepe but I was taught to use the back of a spoon to spread out and we never called it a crepe it was a pancake although it really is very similar to a crepe and nothing like a pancake. It's just what my family called them because we'd make them first and freeze and then as it got closer to the holidays make the filling, roll and bake with homemade "gravy" (tomato sauce) on top.

The few times I've made crepes the batter was thinner and I swirled it around in a small frying pan so the technique for making manicotti in our family is quite different than making a crepe.

When I get around to it I will post my family recipe.

Louise, Looking forward to that recipe. Cannot deal with those boxed things!

Thanks Louise! Looking forward to the recipe!
It's the only way to make a good/real Manicotti! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />
Once you have had them made with a crepe...
you'll never again make them with that boxed pasta! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sick.gif" alt="" />

when I make Manicotti,
I like to mix finely chopped crimini (AKA baby bella) mushrooms (1/4" pieces), parsley, a little italian seasoning, S&P (to taste) and one egg in with the ricotta...

OK this is 1/2 a recipe. Why post a half? Because I don't like standing in front of the stove forever so my Mom years ago gave me 1/2 a recipe and that is what I use to this day.

[color:"red"]Manicotti[/color]

Beat 6 eggs in a bowl with rotary beater until light. Add 1 cup milk (whole milk), ½ tsp salt & 1 ½ cups of flour. Beat mixture until smooth. Pour a large spoonful of batter at a time on a lightly greased griddle and spread out with the back of the spoon to about 7” in diameter. Cook over a low flame until dry but do not let it brown and do not turn it over. Don't get discouraged if the first few stick or brown too quickly. You usually have to adjust the flame and the first few are always for the cook! Stack on wax paper and no matter how big your griddle/pan only do one at a time!

Filling: 1 ½ lb ricotta cheese (use good ricotta); ½ cup good grated Romano cheese (don’t use Parmesan, its too strong), ¼ cup fresh finely chopped parsley; 2 eggs; 1 ½ tsp each of salt & pepper or to taste.

Spread a spoonful of filling into pancake and roll laying them open side down. Place in a baking dish side by side with tomato sauce (whatever you like) and bake with sauce for about 20 minutes.

Buon appetito!

Thanks Louise!!! YUMMMMMM! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

Copied and printed out. Thanks Louise!!!

[color:"blue"]Crepe Tacos[/color]

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
18 crepes (premade)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 cup sour cream

Directions
1. In a large skillet, brown beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add cream cheese, salt and chili powder; mix and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Fill crepes with beef mixture, roll and arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish; pour taco sauce over crepes. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
5. Remove dish from oven and top with Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and tortilla chips; return dish to oven to cook for 15 minutes more.
6. Top with sour cream and onions; serve.

Copied and saved here too. Thanks. Love family secrets. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

LOVE IT!!! Mexican food of any type has always been my favorite so I'll certainly give this a try. Thanks!

I'd probably add some refried beans and guacamole to the mix too!