I cannot believe I’ve waited so long to make crepes! They’re incredibly easy and make everything more elegant. Today I’m going to share how to make Eggplant and Mushroom Crepes.
It started out with an eggplant that needed to be used. I dithered about it. Did I want to roast it or fry it up for my favorite tapa? Rick pointed out we had a pack of mushrooms in the fridge that also needed to be used so we decided to saute the two with some onions and maybe serve it over pasta or polenta.
Then my eye fell on our bought-with-the-intention-of-using-but-never-used crepe pan and the plans changed.
Crepe recipes vary only slightly. In the end I settled on this one for Basic Crepes from MyRecipes. This recipe calls for a blender. I used our immersion blender and stored the crepe batter in the tall cup that came with it. If you don’t have either of these appliances, don’t sweat it. All you really need is a good whisk. If you don’t have a crepe pan, use a 9 inch frying pan or cast iron skillet.
The beauty of crepes we’ve found, is all the components can be made separately and brought together for the final assembly. The crepe batter itself can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for a couple days. Or the crepes can be made ahead of time and frozen until needed (put a piece of waxed paper in between the crepes so you can separate them later). Likewise, the filling can be made specifically for the crepes or thrown together from leftovers. In addition, the filling can be sweet or savory as you wish.
Don’t let all the steps in the recipe intimidate you. I made the eggplant and mushroom filling in the morning (and had some over rice for lunch). Then made the the crepe batter about an hour before I planned to make dinner. At dinner time, I cooked the bechamel and heated up the filling and let them sit while I made the crepes. The leftover batter was stored in the fridge and we repeated the process for lunch the next day.
Crepes, my friends, are the bomb!
Ingredients
For the crepes
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- generous pinch of salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons butter melted
- 2 eggs
For the filling (makes 3 - 4 cups when cooked)
- 1 eggplant diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 8 ounce pack of mushrooms, diced
- 2 - 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoky paprika
- pinch red pepper flakes
- olive oil
For the bechamel sauce
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup milk more or less
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
Make the crepe batter
- Measure the flour, sugar and salt into a small bowl and stir to mix.
- Measure the milk, water, melted butter and eggs in a blender or mixing bowl and beat together briefly.
- Dump the dry ingredients on top of the wet and blend or whisk until smooth.
- Store the batter in the fridge for at least an hour before using. The batter will keep for a day or so.
- To cook the crepes, coat a crepe pan with cooking spray and bring to medium high heat.
- Use a 1/4 cup measure to pour the crepe batter into the hot pan, immediately lift the pan from the heat and turn to spread the batter all the way around the sides of the pan. (Adjust the amount of batter needed to fit the size pan you're using)
- Cook the first side for about a minute. It should release and slide around the pan when ready to turn.
- Flip and cook the other side. The finished crepe should be dry and brown in spots, but not brown all over like a pancake. Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent over-browning.
- Avoid stacking the flat crepes on top of each other. You can either fold them or place a piece of waxed paper in between them.
- Crepes will hold in the fridge for a couple days or a month in the freezer.
For the Eggplant and Mushroom Filling
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil and red pepper flakes in a large skillet or dutch oven.
- Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until they begin to soften.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for a minute or so.
- Add the eggplant, thyme, smoky paprika and stir to combine.
- If the pan seems dry add a little water.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- The filling can be cooked a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator until needed.
For the bechamel sauce
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.
- Stir in the flour and cook for a couple minutes.
- When the flour begins to darken, add the milk and whisk until it begins to thicken.
- Continue to cook the bechamel sauce for a couple more minutes.
- Season with a generous amount of salt and a little pepper.
- Add more milk if needed to thin out the sauce, continue to cook if needed to thicken it.
Assemble the crepes
- Cook or warm up all the ingredients as necessary, figure two crepes per serving.
- Lay a crepe on a plate and top with about 1/2 cup of filling.
- Fold the sides over.
- Repeat for the next crepe.
- Top with bechamel sauce and garnish with chopped parsley.
As mentioned, you can cook them all and freeze any unused crepes or store the extra batter in the fridge for a day or two. Imagine the possibilities of having crepes available to fill with cut up fruit, or slather with nutella for dessert. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a few more crepe recipes in the days ahead!
Have you made crepes before? What are your favorite fillings, savory and sweet?
More crepe recipes:
-
- Egg, Potato and Spinach Crepes
I loved this recipe, but I think there were a few things that were missed out.
1. It doesn’t mention whether the skin of the eggplant should be removed or not. In hindsight I wish I had removed the skin, but I was using a non-standard variety of eggplant.
2. It doesn’t mention the cooking time after adding the eggplant to the skillet. Perhaps eggplant without skin will cook faster, but nevertheless I imagine that just a stir-through won’t be enough. I estimate it took about 10 minutes (albeit on low heat).
Thank you for the feedback, Devyani. Next time I update the recipe I’ll keep it in mind.
I echo your sentiments – Why has it been so long since I have made crepes? Savory ones especially! Thanks for the great idea and recipe!
This time of year I make a lot of eggplant grilled and parmesan, but this is a wonderfully different way to cook with eggplant. Pinning, thank you so much for sharing it with us on foodie friday. Great to have you back.
These look absolutely delicious- I love savoury style crepes!
Yum I just love crepes! I always burn the first one but after that it’s easy!
They’re exactly like pancakes in that regard, aren’t they?
What an awesome combo of ingredients. My vegetarian husband will love this … and so will I!!
Oh my word! These look phenomenal. Nice work 🙂
They were great! And really not too much effort! Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Your crepes look absolutely delicious – great photos and recipe.
Thanks, Patty! There were yummy. I have some more batter in the fridge as a matter of fact 🙂
I love crepes! Mushroom ones are terrific, but I never thought to add eggplant. But I will. 😉 Thanks for this.
They were good. I’m sure there will be more crepes in our future 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!
I love crepes… this looks and sounds delightful!! thanks for sharing, pinned!
Thanks for sharing, Emily. I appreciate it 🙂
I love crepes, especially with savoury fillings. My husband and little boys prefer sweet fillings though. This looks delicious.
Thanks, Louisa! A sweet filling will be next. I have lemons and ricotta, hmmmm 🙂