Cheesy Crêpes with Prosciutto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Olives

Crêpes are surprisingly easy to make and can be served as appetizers, first courses, and entrées. Fast to assemble and filled with a variety of savory fillings such as fresh vegetables and herbs, seafood, poultry, and meat.  Crêpes are ideal to make in advance and refrigerate or freeze, to fill later for a party or informal gathering.  They are popular not only throughout France, but elsewhere in Europe, where the pancake go by other names, including Italian crespelle, Hungarian palacsintas, Jewish blintzes, Scandinavian plattars, Russian blini, and Greek kreps.  Curtis Stone is another favorite Aussie chef I like to follow.  I first started watching him when he was in Surfing the Menu with Ben O’Donoghue.  Since 2007, Curtis has been based in America hosting the show, Take Home Chef.  His cookbook is loaded with delicious looking recipes and mouth-watering photos of food.

Serves 4
recipe from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone cookbook
print this recipe

Crêpe batter:
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
4 teaspoons sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
14 oz. white cheddar cheese, grated
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained of excess oil and thinly sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
6 slices prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces

To make the batter, blend milk, flour, cream eggs, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth.  Transfer the batter to a medium bowl, cover, and set aside for 30 minutes.  The resting time allows the flour to absorb the liquid and the foam to dissipate

Preheat oven to 200f.  Heat a heavy 8-inch nonstick saute pan over medium-low heat.  Dab some of the butter on a paper towel and wipe the pan with it.  Pour 3 tablespoons of the batter into the center of the pan and swirl to coat the bottom thinly.  Cook until the edge is light brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Loosen the edges gently with a spatula, and carefully turn the crêpe over.  Sprinkle a little of the cheddar, then a little of the feta, sun-dried tomato, olives, and prosciutto, over half of the crêpe.  Cook until the bottom begins to brown in spots and the cheese melts, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a baking sheet and tent with foil.  Place in the oven to keep warm while you make the remaining crêpes.  Repeat with the remaining batter and fillings, wiping the pan with butter as needed and forming 8 crêpes in total.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:  Wow!  Velvety smooth crêpes with a delicious filling!  Serve with a side salad and you have one scrumptious meal.  Crêpes can be as fancy as this or simple with just ham and cheese.  If the first crêpe has a hole or two on its surface, quickly add a few more drops of batter to fill them in. After cooking the first crêpe, adjust the heat as necessary. Stir the batter between pourings.

By The Glass Tasting Note: What I consider classic Provencale is embellished here with some Greek flare. For a wine pairing keep it light and fresh. Look to the Mediterranean coastal resort areas for wines with bright fruit flavours and lively acidity. Verdicchio from Italy’s Marches region would work. If you can find it, try a Verdicchio di Matelica which has little more punch than some of the less expensive versions that are more widely available. On the other coast, Vermentino is a late ripening grape that makes some intriguing wines in Sardinia, Liguria and along the Tuscan coast. Antinori’s Guado al Tasso is positively exuberant without losing its minerality and sense of elegance and style. As for Greek whites, Moschofilero exudes the right combination of a fruity personality in the nose and elegance on the palate.