Crepes Marie Suzanne

I promise dear readers (all two of you), that I am not going to blog every cookie, cake, or crepe I make, but Sunday's dinner was so unusual that I must discuss.

I have been thinking about making crepes for some time, actually since a couple years ago when I had some delicious Crepe Suzettes at a brunch at a local winery. They seemed a bit daunting, all of that batter and swirling of the pan to get the perfect, impossibly thin pancakes. I felt ready for the challenge though and got my ingredients together to make crepes filled with seafood, a savory instead of sweet option.

The crepes were not difficult at all. They were somewhat labor intensive as you must stand over the stove, one crepe at a time, but the outcome was most satisfying. The beauty of these crepes is that they can be made ahead of time, separated with foil and reheated in a low oven right before serving. I imagine they could be refrigerated or frozen too but we will use the leftovers for dessert another night, perhaps filled with some ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce.

The filling was my own creation utilizing a basic bechamel sauce (white sauce) that I have been using for years. To make it much more healthy, I use skim milk and still get a rich tasting, smooth sauce. In that base, I added medium sized prawns, small scallops, baby spinach leaves, unmarinated artichoke quarters and white cheddar cheese.

This turned out to be a yummy dinner despite the fact that when I took the plated crepes into the "dining room" (actually the TV room where we sit in front of the boob tube stuffing our pie holes) I dropped one of the plates and the contents, where all the unctuous sauce and filling went face down on the carpet. I should have taken a photo to share of that appetizing hot mess!

Crepe Recipe
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
Extra melted butter for cooking

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and break egg into it. Gradually beat milk in to dry ingredients to make a smooth batter, then stir in 1 tbsp. melted butter.














Heat an 8 inch non stick frying pan over medium heat and lightly brush with butter. Add approximately 1/4 cup batter to hot pan, swirling batter to cover bottom of pan. Cook until the underside is golden brown, then flip over and briefly cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter to make approximately 8 crepes. Keep crepes separated by a piece of foil or wax paper.















Seafood Filling
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/2 lb. raw prawns, peeled and deveined
1/4 lb. small bay scallops
3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1 cup quartered unmarinated artichoke hearts
2 cups baby spinach leaves

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Take off heat and vigorously stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Slowly add in 2 cups of milk, stirring to remove any lumps. Add salt and pepper and put back on medium high heat. Stir constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Lower heat to medium and add prawns and scallops. Cook until prawns turn pink then add cheese and stir until melted. Add artichoke hearts and spinach and heat until spinach leaves wilt. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to your liking.

Put a crepe on serving plate and add approximately 1/2 cup of filling in the middle then fold both sides over to close. Put a bit of the sauce over the top and garnish with lemon and parsley or chives. Enjoy.