Though most Americans are familiar with sweet crêpe, not as many are intimate with the savory crêpe. The filling for crêpes is really only limited to your imagination and the contents of your refrigerator or pantry. Here's one of my personal favorites.
For the crêpe
1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tbs melted butter
Melt the butter in a saute pan. Combine ingredients in a blender and pulse about 10 times or until smooth. You might have to scrape off flour from the sides with a rubber spatula between pulses. Set aside in refrigerator while you make the filling.
For the filling
1/2 onion, diced
8 medium mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces Parisian ham, diced
8 ounces Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated
4 tbs cream
Saute the onions in the ready pan you melted the butter in, on medium heat, until just translucent and add the mushrooms. Continue to saute about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms and onions are browning. Reduce heat to medium low and add the ham and toss. Continue to toss occasionally while you prepare the crêpes.
Ready a large skillet. I like my crêpes large. 10-12 inches across. If you prefer smaller crêpes just half the portions of batter and filling and serve two crêpes per person. I usually use a huge anodized slab sided pan or a large well-seasoned cast iron skillet. If you have a nice crêpe pan, even better.
Turn the heat on medium high and using a pat of butter on a knife or fork coat the bottom of the skillet with it, making sure that the entire surface has a thin coat. Renew the coat after each crêpe. When the butter has finished foaming, but before browning, pour 1/4 of the batter in the center of the skillet. Tilt and rotate the skillet to more or less evenly distribute the batter. As the bottom is cooking, use the flat side of a spatula and drag any wet batter from the top of the crêpes to the ends and enlarge the crêpe. This method will ensure your crêpes will be both thin and wonderfully large. Personally, I could care less if the crêpe is uneven on the sides and isn't perfectly round. Taste and character is more important than achieving the perfect circle here.
The crêpe should only take a few minutes to brown the bottom. Lift an edge and peer under the crêpe, it should be a speckled light golden brown. When ready to turn simply slide a large spatula under the center of the crêpe and lift, turn and drop back in the skillet in one steady motion.
While the crêpe is cooking turn your attention back to the filling for a moment. Turn up the heat to medium high on the filling and add the cream. Boil for just a minute while tossing and then turn the heat back to low. Now back to the crêpe.
Allow the crêpe to cook for a couple minutes on the other side and peer under it to look for doneness. The other side will brown abit differently. Instead of a nice speckled more even browning from the first side, the recently cooked side should be more of a pattern of brown dots, that are perhaps a little darker than the other side. Don't panic. This is what you want, no one will see this side anyway.
Now remove the crepe to your assembly plate, turning it over again so the most recently cooked side is facing up. sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese and 1/4 of the filling in a line in the middle of the crêpe, north to south. Now take the west side, lift and cover the filling, tucking it under and roll the crêpe west to east. Transfer the assembled crêpe to plate. Repeat for the rest.
Goes nice with a nice side salad.
Serves 4
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