As the holidays get closer, we are starting to think about what we will be cooking once our children arrive from their various locations. Fortunately, as their tastes have become more sophisticated, this task is much more entertaining. We no longer worry about accommodating those in the group who eat pasta (hold the sauce); lettuce (no dressing, please); meat (can I have mine without that "stuff"on it?), or plates which at the end of the meal hold carefully stacked veggies or mushrooms which have been painfully picked out of a given dish.
The change has been so monumental over the years that we now have requests for things such as tapas (the more variety in the dishes the better), pasta with fresh mozzarella and basil, grilled tuna, portabella burgers and, a new entry, lobster ravioli. Whenever any of the children visit we try to come up with two or three new things for them to try. We're not sure our efforts will include the lobster ravioli (from scratch, of course), but we should be able to create a few new dishes. One possibility for this visit will be the stacked crepe recipe which is a variation of one found in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Child, Bertholle and Beck (Alfred Knopf 1967). The fillings can be varied depending on the tastes of those dining.
Ingredients:
Place liquids, eggs and salt into food processor. Add flour and melted butter. Cover and process for one minute. Scrape down sides of work bowl and process for an additional 10 seconds. Refrigerate batter for at least 2 hours.
To cook crepes, heat lightly greased 6 inch skillet over medium high heat, just until it begins to smoke. Remove pan from heat and quickly pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into the pan and tilt to completely cover the pan bottom. Return pan to the heat for one minute. Lift edges of crepe with spatula and quickly turn. Brown second side of crepe for 1/2 minute. Remove to aluminum foil and cool. Crepes can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen if separated by pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Makes 16-18 crepes.
Ingredients for Mornay Sauce:
In a large saucepan, cook the flour and butter together slowly for 2 minutes (do not allow the flour to color). Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the boiling milk. Add the seasonings and boil the mixture, stirring constantly, for one minute. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in one cup of grated cheese. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce and set aside.
Spinach Filling:
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion and cook just until translucent. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the moisture evaporates. Stir 1/2 cup of the Mornay sauce (see recipe) into the spinach.
*We have occasionally taken a shortcut here and used frozen creamed spinach. If you chose this option, cook the spinach according to package directions, and do not add any Mornay sauce to the spinach.
Ham and Mushroom Filling:
Over low heat, combine the butter and oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook just until translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat until the moisture evaporates. Add the ham and heat through. Stir one cup of the Mornay sauce into the ham and mushroom mixture.
Assembly:
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Place two crepes in the bottom of the dish, side-by-side. Spread each crepe with a small amount of ham filling. Press a crepe on top of each stack and cover with a small amount of spinach filling. Repeat with alternating layers of crepes and filling, ending with a crepe. Pour the remaining Mornay sauce over the stacks. Sprinkle with the reserved Swiss cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and the top is lightly browned. To serve, cut into pie-shaped wedges.
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