Life has kind of thrown me a curve this week. Nothing horrible, but it left me without a lot of the time I usually put into my diaries. Nevertheless, this recipe is a good one, relatively cheap, and easy to make, although it takes a little time, since you have to make each crepe one at a time.
NOTE: If desired, you can substitute low-fat milk for the whole milk, but skim milk doesn’t work as well. Also, Gruyère is used because it melts well, so if you must substitute, use a cheese with good melting properties (and preferably a similar taste). My apologies to the lactose-intolerant….
HAM-GRUYERE-GREEN ONION CREPES
1 c + 1.5 T flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 c whole milk
generous pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 c grated Gruyère
4 slices deli ham, torn or chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Sift the flour, salt, pepper into a bowl. Make a well in the center. Add eggs and milk and whisk all together until smooth.
Lightly grease a large non-stick skillet with oil and heat at medium high. Pour in 1/4 c to 3/8 c batter (depending on skillet size), swirling to cover then pan evenly with batter. Cook until golden brown. Carefully flip over. After 10-15 seconds, sprinkle a portion of cheese on half the crepe, top with some green onion and ham. Fold the crepe in half, and then fold in half again to make a triangle. Alternatively, place filling on upper 1/3 of crepe (as shown) and fold over twice.
Keep warm in a low oven, or under a thick towel, while you cook the remaining crepes.
The batter makes 8-12 crepes, depending on the size of the pan you're using. I got 11 when I made this yesterday—most for dinner, and a few for dessert when I ran out of filling.
I’ve cooked these in both configurations—triangles and blintz-shaped. I prefer the latter, but the former can be eaten with your hands when cool. So whatever floats your goat….
Now, what if you don’t know how to make crepes? Good question! Unfortunately, I can't really tell you how, and I can’t upload a video of my own, but I can tell you two important things: 1) watch your heat carefully, and 2) swirl the batter around the pan immediately. For more, this guy seems to know what he’s doing (short video; cooking technique starts at 1:10 mark):
When you’re done, it looks like this:
This goes well with any number of side dishes and beverages. It’s a little filling on really hot summer days, although you can eat them cold if you like (although room temp is better), but then you don’t get that gooey melted cheese texture. Last night’s dinner was two crepes, some fruit salad, and a nice glass of Vouvray, and that was plenty.
Bon apétit!