Crêpes Champignons

That's French for "Mushroom Pancakes."  Essentially.

Lo and behold, I've actually made good on my promise to go vegetarian!  And here, as I said it would be, is a recipe from the Cheese Factory Restaurant cookbook.  This isn't actually one of the dishes I've had there - or ever seen served there.  And I can understand why.  Be prepared for a very French (which translates to "lots of work") kitchen adventure that results in a totally-worth-it dish.  Just don't say I didn't warn you.

Note: This is the halved recipe, because you probably don't want to be making the restaurant-sized batch (which yields 35-40 crêpes).  And actually, the mushroom filling portion is only a third of the original, and it works out perfectly.  (Also, the measurements are slightly nicer.)

Also: What I did instead of following the directions is italicized.  It's easier, trust me.

Crêpes Champignons

REQUIRES CHILLING TIME

Crêpes:

3 large eggs

2/3 cups milk

1/3 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cups flour

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon

1/8 cup brandy

1/2 tablespoon butter or a nice can of Pam

Mushroom filling:

2 1/6  cups whole milk or any milk

1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms (1 1/4 oz.), stems removed and discarded or fresh shiitake mushrooms,

     and you don't have to remove the stems

1 bay leaf

1/3 stick butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 pound sliced white button mushrooms (If you don't have enough, just use more shiitake mushrooms -

     that's what I did!)

1/2 tablespoon brandy

1/4 cup flour

1/3 teaspoon grated nutmeg or less

1 teaspoon salt or less

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper or less - all these "or less"s are if you don't want as strong a mixture

Mushroom sauce:

1 cup mushroom filling (see above)

1/6 cup reserved shiitake-flavored milk

1/3 cup whole milk or any milk

1/6 teaspoon salt

4-6 whole white button mushrooms, medium to large with 1/2-inch stems or just the prettiest ones

1/3 tablespoon butter

A note before we delve into the directions: You don't have to be totally exact with the measurements.  If you are, I am awed.  If you aren't, you're like the rest of the human race.

Crêpes:

1. Combine eggs, milk, half-and-half, water, salt, flour, melted butter, sugar, and brandy in blender or with hand mixer.
2. Chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours.
3. Heat nonstick skillet; add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and swirl it to coat the pan OR Pam your pan in between crêpes.  (Confused?  Learn how to make simple crêpes here.)
4. Pour 3 tablespoons batter (or ladle it out until it looks right) into skillet, and tilt skillet to spread evenly.  Cook over medium heat for about 1 minute.  Flip crêpe, then cook until brown spots appear on the underside.  Remove and repeat with remaining batter, buttering/Pamming the skillet between each crêpe.

Mushroom Filling:

1. Place milk, shiitake mushrooms, and bay leaf in a 2-quart saucepan.  Heat until almost boiling, the remove.  Cover and set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Strain shiitakes and discard bay leaf.  Reserve mushroom-flavored milk.
3. Mince shiitakes in a food processor using metal blade attachment.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in another skillet and add onions.  Sauté onions until translucent.
5. Add sliced button mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring frequently.
6. Add shiitakes and brandy and cook 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.
7. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan.  Add flour and whisk vigorously.  Cook 2 minutes; stir constantly.
8. Add all but 1/6 cup shiitake-flavored milk and whisk vigorously to incorporate flour.  Add nutmeg and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat; whisk until thickened.
9. Cook 2 to 3 minutes longer and add mushrooms mixture. Stir until well blended.  Add salt and pepper as desired.

Mushroom sauce:

1. Purée 1 cup mushroom filing, reserved shiitake milk, whole (or other) milk, and salt in a blender/food processor until smooth.
2. Slice and sauté reserved mushrooms in butter; set aside for garnish.

Assembly:

1. Fold crêpes in half, and then in half again, forming a triangle.  Fill the very top fold with 1 heaping tablespoon mushroom filling and place in serving dish.
2. Cover with foil and heat in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
3. Reheat sauce in microwave or in a saucepan over the stove.
4. To serve, place crêpe(s) on a plate and pour sauce over it/them, and garnish with reserved mushroom slices.

Lots of funky measurements and a huge number of directions.  Let's do this:

Crêpes:

Mix eggs, milk, half-and-half, water, salt, flour, melted butter, sugar, and brandy with a hand-mixer...

Chill for 2 hours.  (I made the filling and sauce during this time.)  Pam your skillet...

...and ladle batter into skillet.

Tilt to spread evenly, cook for a minute, flip, and cook for another minute.

Remove and repeat.

Mushroom filling:
Heat milk, shiitake mushrooms, and bay leaf in a saucepan until almost boiling...

 Cover and set aside for 20 minutes.  (During which I did the rest of the filling.)  Strain shiitakes...

...and mince in food processor.

Heat butter and onions...

Sauté until translucent.

 Slice button mushrooms...

 ...and add to onions.

Add shiitakes...

 ...and brandy...

 ...and cook 1-2 minutes before removing from heat.

In a large saucepan, combine butter, flour, and shiitake-flavored milk, stirring constantly...

...until thick.  Add nutmeg.

Cook a few minutes and then add mushroom mixture...

Add salt and pepper as desired...

...and mix well.

Mushroom sauce:
Purée 1 cup of the mushroom filling, reserved shiitake milk, milk, and salt in a food processor...

...until smooth.

Slice reserved mushrooms and sauté in butter.

Assembling your crêpes:
Fold crêpes in half and in half again, forming triangles...

 Spoon a generous tablespoon of mushroom filling into the top fold of each crêpe...

...and place in a serving dish.  Cover with foil...

 ...and heat in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Warm sauce in microwave, and spoon over crêpes when they're done.  Add a reserved mushroom slice as a garnish and you're all set!

These are delicious and definitely worth all the work. :)
-JJ

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

I got that cute picture (technically it's a background, but hey, looks cool as is) from imagesforfree.org.

And here are some Basic Dessert Crêpes to go along with whatever plans you've made:

Basic Dessert Crêpes 

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon (or a few dashes) salt

1. Beat eggs and combine with milk in a small or medium mixing bowl.
2. Add flour, stir.  (Don't be worried if there are lumps!)
3. Add sugar and oil.  Stir, and add salt.
4. Blend thoroughly with hand mixer, until all the lumps are gone.
5. Heat a skillet on the stove and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Ladle in batter.  Lift and tip skillet to spread batter evenly.
7. Return to heat, and cook until edges turn brown.  Release the edges with a spatula, and lift up the side of the crêpe to see if it's brown on the underside.  If so, flip it over and cook for less than half a minute on that side.
8. Remove crêpe to a plate; repeat with remaining batter.

A quick note before I break it down as usual - don't do what I did in the photos and add the flour before the eggs.  It turns out the same, but it looks wayy worse than if you do it the way I posted.

Pour milk...

 Add flour and eggs and stir...

 Add sugar...

 Add oil and salt and stir...

 Then mix with a hand blender...

 Pam a skillet...

 Ladle batter into the skillet...

 (Sorry for that blurry picture!)  ...and tip to coat the surface of the skillet.

Brown the edges and release with a spatula...

 Lift your crêpe...

 ...and, if it's browned to your liking, flip!

Brown both sides of your crêpe nicely...

 ...and remove to a plate.

Repeat with your remaining batter and remember to coat your skillet with Pam before each crêpe!

Your crêpe appearance depends on your skillet, the heat, and your preference!  Some like it really brown, some like it dotted with little holes, some like it spotty, and some like it undercooked.  I'm easy any way, as long as they're delicious. :)

There's a spotty crêpe for ya!  And the edges will most likely be quite crispy if you let them brown thoroughly:

If you don't like that, just wait until the edges are only golden brown before releasing them with the spatula.

And then the yummy part - serving and eating!

These are called dessert crêpes for a reason - they're sweeter than savory crêpes.  I eat them for breakfast on weekends usually. :)

And of course there are many ways to eat them.  I take refrigerated leftover crêpes and dip them straight in sugar.  I also spread warm ones with Nutella (sometimes with bananas) or just eat them plain with powdered sugar.

You can also spread lots of preserves, jams, or jellies on them - whichever flavor is your favorite!

Just spread...

...roll...

...and enjoy!

Bon appétit!
-JJ