thefoodlessprocessed

“The only source of knowledge is experience.” (Albert Einstein)

An Observation from Experience

These crêpes are popular with all ages. Children have been known to request them, year after year, for their birthday dinner…along with french fries.

Fried crêpes are made in several steps:

• Making the crêpes
• Making the béchamel sauce
• Making the meat filling
• Assembling the crêpes for breading and frying
• Breading and frying the crêpes

The crêpes, sauce, and meat filling may be prepared a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.

Less processed options for the crêpes: Flour, Milk, and Olive Oil.

The options for less processed versions of the ingredients for the filling and breading include: Ground Beef or Ground Pork, Onion, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, Tomatoes, Milk, Salted Butter, European-Style Unsalted Butter (optional for frying), Chapelure (or any fine white breadcrumbs–dry or fresh–from a loaf of homemade bread made with unenriched flour), and Organic Ground Nutmeg.

Note: The equipment and ingredients for making crêpes are given here. A detailed description of how to make them is in this post: Crêpes ~ Crespelle.

Equipment for making the crêpes

• a Crêpe Pan: The crêpes in the photo were made in a pan with a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter base.
• a Flat Spatula (aka palette knife) with a thin turning edge
• a Large Mixing Bowl
• a Whisk or a Hand Mixer
• a Small Plate to hold Olive Oil and Paper Toweling
• a 1/3 cup (80 ml) Measuring Cup: If your pan is smaller than the 9-inch (23 cm) pan used here, use a smaller measure of batter for each crêpe.
• a Large Plate and 2 Cotton Kitchen Towels: As they are made, the crêpes are turned out onto a towel spread over a plate, stacked one atop another, and covered with a second towel. a
• a Small Plate for olive oil and Paper Toweling for oiling the pan
• another Small Plate on which to rest the measuring cup

Ingredients for the crêpes

Note: The recipe makes 8 or 9 large crêpes in a pan with a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter base.

• 1 and 1/3 cups (315 ml) of Minimally Processed Whole Milk plus a but more to add once the batter has sat and absorbed the flour completely. (See the note below in Mixing the batter.)
• 1 cup (125 g hard/120-125 g soft) of Unenriched All-Purpose White Flour: either European soft wheat or organic hard wheat flour. Hard wheat flour is the standard American variety. In the US, only the organic version of all-purpose hard wheat white flour is guaranteed to be unenriched.
• 3 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil for the crêpe pan

Equipment for the Béchamel Sauce and Meat Filling

• a Heavy-Bottomed Pan of Medium Size, such as a 12-inch (30.5 cm) Cast Iron Skillet
• a Flat Spatula
• a Whisk
• 2 Medium-Sized Bowls, one for the béchamel sauce and another for the meat mixture
• a piece of Parchment Paper to cover the sauce until it is spread on the crêpes
• a Food Processor is convenient for finely chopping the tomatoes and onion

Ingredients for the Béchamel by Sauce

• 1 and 1/4 cups (300 ml) of Minimally Processed Whole Milk or a bit more for a sauce made with Hard wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) of Salted Butter
• 3 tablespoons (24 g) of European All-Purpose Unenriched Soft Wheat White Flour or Organic Unenriched Hard Wheat White Flour (The latter is the standard American variety. Only the white flour labeled ‘organic’ is guaranteed to be unenriched.)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• a sprinkling of Organic Ground Nutmeg

Making the Béchamel Sauce

• Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat and add the flour.
• Whisk to combine them and cook for a few minutes without browning.
• Slowly add the milk, whisking, until the mixture is smooth. A sauce made with hard wheat flour may require a bit more milk. The sauce should be smooth, not pasty.
• Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture, whisking it, until it thickens.
• Remove the sauce from the heat. Sprinkle in some nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper and transfer the sauce to a bowl. Place a sheet of buttered parchment down on its surface and set it aside until it is time to fill and fold the crêpes.

Ingredients for the Meat Mixture

Note: If you have a good source for veal, ground veal is a third option for the meat.

• 1 pound (454 g) of Organic Ground Beef, Pork or Veal
• 6 oz/175g of Organic Yellow Onion, minced (about 1 cup)
• 6.5 oz/ 180 g of Organic Tomatoes, seeded and chopped fine (Any variety with rich flavour will do, such as, Heirloom, Dry-Farmed, or Romas. The total weight of the tomatoes before seeding and chopping is about 12.5 ounces/355 g).)
• about 1.8 oz/50 g of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon Organic Nutmeg
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons (57 g) of Salted Butter

Preparing the Meat Mixture

• In the medium-sized pan melt the butter. Add the onion and cook it until brown bits begin appearing in it.
• Add the meat and cook until it is no longer pink, using a spatula to break it up.
• Add the tomatoes and continue to cook over medium until all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture thickens–for, perhaps 10 minutes.
• Stir in the nutmeg and some freshly ground black pepper.
• Transfer the meat to a bowl.

Equipment for Stuffing and Breading the Crêpes and Frying the Crêpes

• 2 Pie Pans or other Rimmed Containers for the beaten eggs and chapelure (aka bread crumbs)
• a Knife for spreading the béchamel sauce on the crêpes
• a Rimmed Tray to hold the stuffed and breaded crêpes before frying them
• a Large Plate or Pastry Board on which to place the crêpe as it is filled and folded
• a Small Pot in which to clarify butter for frying and a Small Bowl for the clarified butter
• a large Sauté Pan, for example, an enameled cast iron sauteuse with a black baked-on porcelain enamel interior
• a Flat Spatula for turning the crêpes as they fry

Ingredients for Stuffing, Breading and Frying the Crêpes

• the Béchamel Sauce
• the Meat Mixture
• 3 Eggs, Beaten
• Chapelure or other Fine Breadcrumbs, fresh or dried, for breading
• 1/2 cup of Clarified Butter: Clarifying the butter is described below. European-style Unsalted Butter is preferable for making clarified butter.
• 8 Crêpes

Clarifying Butter

A milky sediment separates out of melted butter. The sediment scorches easily, but once removed, the clarified butter will heat to a high temperature without burning.

• Heat the butter in a small pot until a froth bubbles up. Skim off the froth. Pour off the clear yellow butter into a bowl, leaving the sediment behind. Discard the sediment. Leave the butter in the bowl and set it aside.

Filling, Folding and Breading the Crêpes

Note: The crêpes are refrigerated for 1 hour before frying them.

• Place a crêpe on the large plate or board.

• Spread about 1 Tablespoon of béchamel sauce over the surface of the crêpe, leaving a margin of about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) around its perimeter.

• Spoon 3 generous tablespoons of the meat mixture down the center of the crêpe, leaving space at each end as shown in the photo below.

• Fold the top and bottom sides of the crêpe in to cover the upper and lower portions of the meat.

• Bring the left side of the crêpe in towards the center, almost covering the meat.

• Bring the right side of the crêpe all the way across to cover the folded portion.

• Flip it right side up.

• Transfer it to the rimmed tray and continue filling and folding the rest of the crêpes.

Breading the Crêpes

• Spread the breadcrumbs in one rimmed pan and pour the beaten eggs into another.
• Coat each crêpe with the beaten eggs, then roll it in the breadcrumbs.
• Return the crêpes to the tray as they are breaded, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 1 hour.

Frying the Crêpes

• Heat the clarified butter over medium heat.
• Place the crêpes in the pan seam-side down.
• Brown them in a leisurely fashion, so that the crumbs turn golden as the filling heats through.
• If they are not served immediately, the crêpes may be transferred back to the pan and kept warm in the oven at around 275 F/135 C while finishing any remaining preparations.