Crepes Seafood Mornay
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by Chef Karista Bennett, Food Editor[/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]I used to think making crepes was an art form, one of which would never be on my list of talents. I was more terrified of making crepes than making a profiterole. So when the day came when I was asked to demonstrate making crepes in one of my culinary classes, I think my heart skipped a few beats.
But just a few beats; I practiced at home the day before so I wouldn’t look completely incompetent. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Crepe making was as easy as making toast – which I’ve actually burnt a few times.
I looked like a pro as I demonstrated my crepe making skills and I even tried my hand at pan flipping the crepe instead of turning it with a spatula. Ok, so I was just a little too confident at that moment. My crepe flipping didn’t quite work the way I planned. The crepe landed on the floor beside me and although it was a tad embarrassing, not everyone mastered the pan flip that day.
Since then, I’ve become a crepe-making machine. And I even learned to pan flip my crepes! When my girls were younger, they loved Nutella and banana stuffed crepes after school or for dessert. Sometimes I’d fill them with peanut butter and jelly for a twist on the classic PB&J.
[x_pullquote type=”right”]The key to an excellent crepe is the recipe used. [/x_pullquote]Crepes are easy to make and can be served sweet or savory. When I have leftover roasted chicken, I’ll combine it with blanched broccoli or baby sweet peas, sharp cheddar and a quick white wine sauce, which is very much like the sauce Mornay, and then use it as a filling for crepes.
One of my favorite ways to serve (eat) crepes as a sweet dish, is to fill it with my favorite homemade jam and whipped Mascarpone cheese or sometimes melted Brie. Are you hungry yet?
If you’d like to serve crepes for a dinner party or brunch, they can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated until needed. Just lightly warm them before using. Crepes can also be a fun dinner party activity or even a fun way to get the kids involved in making dinner.
The key to an excellent crepe is the recipe used. There are many versions of crepe recipes, but for my crepes, I found this recipe to work best with my stainless or iron pan. You can certainly use a crepe pan or a ceramic non-stick also works well, especially if it’s your first attempt at making crepes.
If your first attempts don’t fare well, don’t give up. It just takes a few tries to get the hang of it. Even now when I make crepes, there are times I pour the batter too thin and the crepe breaks, or too thick and it ends up chewy. Like anything worth doing, it takes practice. But before long, I know you’ll be a crepe-making machine too![/x_text][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 20px 20px 10px 20px; “][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false” class=”center-text “]You may also like…[/x_custom_headline][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”4″ offset=”3″ category=”food” orientation=”vertical” no_image=”false” fade=”false”][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]
This Crepes Seafood Mornay recipe was born out of my love of not only crepes, but French sauces as well. And what better way to highlight a French sauce than in or on a crepe?
Sauce Mornay is actually a derivative of a Béchamel sauce which is one of the five Mother sauces. Sauce Mornay is prepared by adding cheese to a Béchamel, and some chef’s go a step further by adding a splash of Vermouth. I do love a good splash of Vermouth in my Mornay sauce. But it’s definitely optional.
Once you’ve prepared this recipe a time or two, it will seem simple and easy enough for dinner guests or a casual weekend meal. I’ve even made this on a weeknight with leftover crepes from the weekend. The sauce doesn’t take long to prepare and then all that’s required is pan searing the fish. It can be done in about 30 minutes.
Whenever you decide to prepare this lovely little dish, it will delight the palate and please the senses. Bon Appetit!
- [b]For the Crepes:[/b]
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk (or more if needed)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon salt[br]
- [b]For the Seafood Mornay (Serves 4-6)[/b]
- 1lb medium to large gulf prawns, peeled and deveined
- ½ to 1 lb medium to large dry packed scallops,
- 2-4 tablespoons clarified butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3-4 cups warm whole milk
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, or to taste
- 2 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1-ounce fresh grated parmesan cheese
- Splash of Vermouth or white whine, to taste (about 1 tablespoon)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl (a kitchen aid mixer with whisk attachment works well). Add the flour, 1/2 the milk, vegetable oil, and salt and begin whisking. Pour in the remaining milk as you whisk – this helps to ensure a smooth batter. Depending on the size of the eggs, you may need to add a little more milk. The consistency of the batter should be about like heavy cream. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to age for an hour.
- Heat a 10 inch round non stick crepe pan or a 12 inch non stick pan on medium heat until hot. Ladle about 1/3 cup batter into the pan, turning and tilting the pan to evenly coat bottom. Cook until the top surface is no longer wet and the edges starting to brown (one to two minutes), then turn with a spatula and cook 15 seconds more on the other side.
- Remove from the pan and place in a folded clean dish towel. Continue making the crepes and stacking them in the folded dish towel. Fill with your favorite sweet or savory fillings.
- I like to pan sear my shrimp and scallops for this dish. I feel it brings out the flavor of the shellfish and gives it just a gloss of butter, which is always tasty. It also gives the shellfish lovely color and texture, which adds to the flavor.
- Season shrimp and scallops with salt and pepper. To pan sear, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of clarified butter. When the butter is melted and almost smoking, add the shrimp first in a single layer. Cook the shrimp on each side for about 1 ½ -2 minutes or until opaque and golden brown. Transfer to a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining shrimp and the scallops until finished.
- Next, prepare the sauce.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the four tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When the butter is just melted and frothy, whisk in the flour. Let the flour and butter cook for about one minute.
- Next, whisk in about 2 cups of the warm milk. Continue stirring. Once the mixture thickens, whisk in the 3rd cup of warm milk. Continue to cook over medium to medium-low heat until you reach a desired consistency. If you feel your sauce is too thick, add another ½ cup – 1 cup of warm milk.
- Once the milk is incorporated, whisk in the nutmeg, Gruyere and parmesan. Then whisk in the splash of vermouth or white wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To Assemble:
- Add a few tablespoons of the seafood to a crepe, sprinkle with chopped fresh chives and drizzle with a little sauce. Roll it up and transfer to a platter or individual plates.
- Repeat the process until you’ve used all the seafood or crepes and then drizzle the Sauce Mornay over the top of the crepes and garnish with chopped fresh chives. Serve immediately.
- You will probably have leftover sauce. It can be held in the fridge for a day or two and reheated stovetop. The sauce is fabulous over steamed or blanched veggies, grilled chicken or fish.
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Do you have the directions for this recipe? I would love to have it…Can’t seem to find it…
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We have reloaded the recipe for you and hope you enjoy it! Much thanks!