Deep-Fried Chive Crêpes with Chévre, Scallions & Prosciutto
Onions Onions Onions, by Linda & Fred Griffith, p. 73
(MAKE crêpes THE NIGHT BEFORE ASSEMBLY)
"Each small, crisp, golden package is filled with creamy chévre, punctuated by the delicate flavor of scallion and salty prosciutto."
Makes 20 to 24 6-inch crêpes
Filling:
1/2 pound fresh chévre (goat cheese)
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 oz prosciutto, minced
4 scallions, trimmed to include 1" of green, minced
Freshly ground white pepper
2 tsp minced fresh chives
crêpes (creation):
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp minced fresh chives
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups milk
crêpes (assembly):
20 chive crêpes (see above), cooked
2 large egg whites, beten with 2 tsp water
1 cup very fine dry bread crumbs
2-4 cups vegetable oil for frying
Fresh edible flowers, herbs and/or watercress for garnish
To make crêpes:
- Combine both flours, chives, white pepper and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add melted butter, eggs and egg yolk; pulse twice. With motor running, slowly add milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend for 5 seconds more.
- Pour batter into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
To cook crêpes:
Place butter in a nonstick or well-seasoned 6" crepe pan and set over high heat. When hot, add sevreal tablespoons of batter and quickly tilt the pan to coat the bottom. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until bottom is nicely browned, about 1 minute. (If you wish, you can lightly brown the other side at this point.) Turn out onto a tea towel; repeat until all batter is used. Add more butter to the pan only as necessary.
To make filling:
In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine chévre, cream, prosciutto, scallions, garlic, pepper and chives. Set aside.
To assemble crêpes:
- Arrange crêpes, browned sides up, on a large work surface. Place a scant tablespoon of filling in the center of each crepe. Moisten outer edges with some egg white mixture. Fold in sides over filling. Then fold up bottom and fold down top to make a tight package about 2-1/2 to 3 inches square. Place crêpes, seam sides down, on a large platter. Repeat until all packages are made.
- Dip each package into egg white mixture, roll in bread crumbs and place on a cake rack to dry. (crêpes can be assembled 1/2 day ahead and kept, tightly wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before frying.)
- Just before serving, pour oil into a wok or deep-fryer to a depth of 1-1/2 to 2 inches. Heat until hot enough to quickly brown a cube of bread. Fry crepe packages, a few at a time, turning until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove and drain well; keep warm. Serve with a garnish of flowers, herbs and watercress.
LYNDA SAYS: These were scrumptious. They're also good cold, which makes the cheese's strong flavor stand out nicely.
EMILY SAYS: An 8" frying pan worked well -- it's about 6" at the bottom. For cooking the crêpes, it says to add butter only as necessary; we found it necessary after each crepe, and just kept the heat on medium. I'm now a deep-fryer convert, sort of. At least for this.