This past fall, I took a class at the Boston Public Market that focused on making crepes. Now, I can count on one hand how many times I've prepared pancakes, so crepes had yet to make it into my repertoire. I was excited to try something new and figured if anyone could teach me, the chef at Salt Box Kitchen could. I didn't realize just how fun and easy they'd be. It took a bit of practice figuring out how much batter I needed for the perfect thickness. But after a few failed attempts, I got the hang of it. The task of flipping each crepe wasn't as challenging as I'd anticipated. There's a chance they could tear around the edges, but they're surprisingly resilient. And you know what's great? Crepes can be made a few hours in advance, then warmed at the end (I'll often throw them in the microwave just before adding the filling).
These have made their way into our weekly meal rotation. I find the spinach-mushroom combination is the ideal filling for brunch or dinner. If we have leftover smoked salmon in the fridge, I'll chop that up and add it to the mix.
Spinach, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crepes
Source: Crepe batter provided by SaltBox Kitchen
Yield: 6-8 crepes (depending on size)
Special Tools: Blender (optional)
Ingredients:
For the crepes
5 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk, plus more if needed
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
Butter
For the filling
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 lb cremini or white button mushrooms, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, and salt until thoroughly combined. Whisk in milk. Alternatively, you can put the ingredients in a blender, mix at low speed for 10 seconds and then high speed for 1 minute. Allow batter to rest for at least 30 minutes to an hour before making crêpes.
Meanwhile, add olive oil to a saute pan set over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and chopped thyme and cook for another 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Season with salt and black pepper.
To prepare the crêpes, heat a shallow sauté pan or crêpe pan over medium-low heat. Add a small amount of butter to the pan (a couple teaspoons). Once the butter has melted, add 1 1/2 ladles of crepe mixture to the pan, just enough to coat the bottom (it may help to gently tilt the pan to allow it to spread). Cook for about 1 minute, then, using a spatula, flip over crêpe and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer finished crêpes to a parchment-lined sheet tray. Crêpes can be served immediately, or frozen in layers between parchment and wrapped in plastic or freezer bags to use at another time.
Fill each crêpe with sauteed vegetables and crumbled goat cheese, and then fold the crepes.
