Crêpes 101

Very simple to make, really. All you do is:

1. Buy a crêpe pan.

2. Stare at said pan for two years and intimidate yourself.

3. Pull out Mastering the Art of French Cooking and make the recipe for the batter. When you get to the part that says 'Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours', accidentally on purpose leave it in the fridge for a week, and then throw it away. Repeat process 3 more times. This part should take roughly another year.

4. Ask your husband to pull out the Manchego from the freezer to defrost. A few days later, unwrap the cheese to discover that he has, in fact, pulled out the Gorgonzola you bought several months before to make crêpes but then accidentally on purpose left the batter in the fridge too long. You preferred not to waste said expensive cheese — hence the freezer.

5. Pull out Savoring Italy and turn to page 110. Proceed with instructions and relish in your success. The crêpes themselves are fabulous, and (who knew) are very easy to make. Incidentally, I forgot how much I do not care for Gorgonzola cheese. And the same goes for Michael, but he has never been a fan of blue cheese.

Crêpes

3 eggs

2 cups milk

1⅓ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Sauce

3 cups milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

pinch of ground nutmeg

½ lb Gorgonzola cheese, rind removed

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

To make the crêpes, beat the eggs until foamy. Gradually add milk. In a separate bowl combine flour and salt. Gradually beat into the egg mixture. The consistency should be similar to heavy cream — if too heavy, add a little water. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Heat the crêpe pan over medium heat and brush it with a little butter. Once hot enough, spoon a few tablespoons of batter onto the pan. Immediately tilt pan to get the batter evenly spread. You mustn't dilly-dally — the batter is so thin it will cook very fast! After about a minute, take a spatula and flip it over. Cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a plate, butter the pan again, and keep going, stacking them up as you go.

For the sauce, add the milk to a pan and heat until small bubbles form along the side. While the milk is heating, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour, salt, and nutmeg, and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add the hot milk, stirring constantly. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and nearly boiling, almost 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, mash the Gorgonzola with a fork. Add half the sauce and stir until well combined.

Preheat oven to 400°, and butter a large baking dish.

Take one of the crêpes, spread a tablespoon of the cheese mixture onto it. Fold it in half, and then into quarters. Place in baking dish and continue with the rest. Pour over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake 20-30 minutes until hot and lightly browned. (Recipe from Savoring Italy by Michele Scicolone, Time Life Books, 1999.)