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Crepes

Savory Crepes with Eggplant, Red Peppers and Feta Cheese

I have only recently learned to appreciate savory crepes.  I grew up eating sweet crepes for breakfast at a stand at the farmer’s market in the Bay Area, and when you saw one customer leaving with ham and cheese, and the other leaving with a pile of fresh berries and whipped cream, you couldn’t help feeling like the first got the short end of the stick.  I never understood, when faced with the option, why anyone would choose a savory crepe.  It wasn’t until I discovered a small Belgian joint in the Mission in San Francisco called Frjtz that I discovered the true beauty of the crepe’s dinner potential.

Frjtz‘s menu is simple, consisting of about ten sandwich and crepe options, a few salads, Belgian-style mussels, and the most delicious french fries with about twenty different aiolis and ketchups to dip.  You order at the counter and they bring you your food, but the sexy and modern decor and the delicious food are worth a little self-service.

When Adrian and I moved back to Cambridge, we found ourselves thinking about these savory crepes and we thought we would try to reproduce to the best of our memory their Rosetti crepe filling.  It wasn’t exactly the same but it was close — and just as good, if not better.

We used Alton Brown’s recipe for the crepes.  You will want to prepare the crepe batter ahead of time so it can sit in the fridge for at least an hour before you cook the crepes.  When the filling is almost done, cook the crepes so that both the filling and the crepe is hot when you serve it.

The Crepes:

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Butter, for coating the pan while cooking

In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour, and melted butter and pulse for ten second.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before cooking (the batter will last for up to 48 hours).  This will make about eight large crepes, so you will probably have batter left over.

To cook the crepes, heat a nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium low heat.  Coat with butter and pour about 1/4 cup of the batter in the middle of the pan.  Rotate the pan to coat with the batter.  After about 30 seconds, or when the crepe begins to turn a light golden color, flip the crepe and cook the other side for about half as long as the first side.  Lay flat to cool while you cook the other crepes.  Fill and serve right away.

The Filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 small or 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 large red pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives
• Salt
• Crushed red pepper

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and cook about three minutes, until they become slightly translucent.  Add the eggplant, peppers, and garlic, season with salt and crushed red pepper to taste and cover.  Cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies start to soften from their own steam.  Add the wine and continue to cook until veggies are thoroughly caramelized, another ten minutes or so.  Turn off the heat.  Add the feta and fresh herbs and stir to combine.  Keep covered so the filling will stay warm until you are ready to fill the crepes.

Assembly:

Put 1/4 of the filling in the center of the crepe.  Spread the filling out into a square shape in the middle of the crepe.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon, fold all four sides of the crepe in to form a square.  Turn over and garnish with a small dollop of the filling and a couple fresh chives.  Repeat for the other three crepes.  Serve immediately.

More good looking Crepe ideas:

• The Veggie Table
• C’est Bon
• GupShop

Tags: Crepes