Meatless Monday - Vegetarian Savory Herb Crepes

Savory Herb Crepes

1 cup flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

2 tbs. melted butter plus a little extra for the pan

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs (I used a mix of lemon thyme, oregano, parsley, and basil)

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients except herbs until well-blended. Throw the herbs in last and store the batter in your refrigerator for about an hour. You can start on the fillings and sauce while you wait.

Heat a bit of butter in a crepe pan (or a small-medium sized nonstick skillet with shallow sides). Keep the heat fairly low or else the crepes will brown too quickly. Hold the pan with one hand and drop about 1/4 cup of batter in with the other. Swirl the pan around so the batter evenly covers the bottom in a thin layer.

Cook until bottom is just starting to brown. Flip crepe and cook the other side until it is also lightly browned. Repeat until you run out of batter. To keep crepes from sticking, I like to stack them with a sheet of wax paper in between each one. Keep in a slightly warm oven until you serve them.

Parmesan Mornay Sauce

2 heaping tbs. butter or Earth Balance buttery spread

2 heaping tbs. flour

1-2 cups milk (start with 1, but you may need more to thin it out)

1/2 - 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (preferably Whole Foods Parmesan Blend)

About 1/8 tsp. (a couple grates on a microplane grater) nutmeg

Salt and ground pepper to taste

Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. One it's melted, add flour and whisk to combine thoroughly. Whisk in milk, then salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Keep whisking gently as you let it cook over medium heat until it thickens, then add the cheese. If the sauce seems too thick, add more milk as needed.

Ricotta Filling

2 cups ricotta cheese

4 heaping tablespoons shredded Parmesan blend

1/8-1/4 tsp. salt (depending how salty your ricotta cheese is - I used organic part-skim and it seems to need more seasoning than others)

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and set aside. Warm for a few seconds in the microwave before filling crepes.

Vegetable Fillings

These can be mixed and matched depending on your preferences - pretty much any combination will be delicious!

Sliced cherry tomatos

Grilled or roasted asparagus spears

Sauteed mushrooms (see recipe below)

Arugula leaves

Basil pesto (either store bought or home made - there's a good recipe for it in this entry!)

Wine and Herb Sauteed Mushrooms

1 container white, button, or baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup Sherry or Port

1 tbs. herb butter (you can use regular butter too, but I like to keep Kerrygold Garlic & Herb Butter on hand at all times)

Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In a skillet, melt herb butter. over medium heat. Add mushrooms and Sherry or Port. Season with salt and pepper. Let the wine reduce and cook mushrooms until just soft.

When assembling crepes, spread a layer of pesto if you are using it, then a generous dollop of ricotta cheese. Add whatever combination of vegetables you'd like, then roll up and top with warm mornay sauce.

 Pesto, Ricotta, Tomato, Arugula

Ricotta, Sauteed Mushrooms, Grilled Asparagus, Tomato

Wine Sips and Tips

These crepes pair nicely with Trader Joe's Honey Moon Viognier 2008. Viogner is a "rare, stylish grape with golden hues and amazing floral scents. This is a lush, full-bodied wine with peach, apricot, and honeysuckle aromas followed by luscious honey, mango, and nectar finish." It would also compliment Asian-flavors, roast chicken, and lobster.