Crepes with Wild Mushrooms and Gruyere

There’s been so much to celebrate lately- Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, The Kentucky Derby.. sometimes blogging feels like an exercise in chasing the holidays.

So today (there are no holidays that I know of) I am going back to my roots.

Recipes for recipes sake.

Behold! Crepes with Wild Mushrooms and Gruyere.  (OK let’s be honest, I don’t really think the mushrooms I purchased from Vons were probably wild foraged mushrooms, but they were fancy, so I hope you forgive the name).

Savory crepes hold a special place in my heart second only to sweet crepes (hehe just kidding… maybe…).  But seriously, I love crepes of all varieties and I have a stellar no-fail crepe recipe that I pull out again and again anytime Dave and I are craving a batch.

(Read: whenever I demand crepes at midnight and Dave passively acquiesces).

Crepes are a blender creation.  Yes, you read this correctly.

I’m sure in France when crepes were created they were whisked by hand and lovingly smeared on a buttered crepe pan.

But I am a fan of simple and reliable, and so I pour all the ingredients directly into the blender, give it a whirl, and pour directly from blender onto pre-heated non-stick crepe pan.

And (hopefully) I don’t eat all the crepes in one sitting and I have batter leftover for later use.

So getting back to the recipe at hand- I used my trusted and reliable blender-crepe recipe.  But I sprinkled gruyere on one half of the crepe during cooking to create a beautifully French quesadilla. And I sauted some mushrooms, garlic, and thyme in butter (with a hit of brandy) for the most delicious and moist mushroom topping you ever did imagine.

I could barely keep my hands off these to photograph them.Next brunch party?  Why yes, these will be served.

Crepes with Wild Mushrooms and Gruyere

Crepe recipe barely adapted from Yuliya's Kitchen

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

_For the Crepes_

• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 cup cold water
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 10 oz gruyere cheese grated

_For the mushrooms_

• 8 cups wild mushrooms I used oyster mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever is available.
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tablespoons brandy
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 thyme sprigs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• In a blender combine milk, water, eggs, salt, sugar, and butter. Blend until mixed.
• Then add flour and blend on high until flour is fully incorporated and no lumps remain.
• Place in refrigerator while you prepare the mushrooms.

To prep the mushrooms

• In a frying pan melt the butter in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute or until fragrant (do not burn please). Toss in the thyme and saute for a few seconds.
• Then turn off the heat and add the mushrooms, brandy, and water. Season with salt and pepper.
• Turn back to medium heat and saute until liquid is nearly entirely evaporated and the mushrooms are cooked down and tender. Taste and add additional salt if needed.
• Remove thyme sprigs and set aside.

To cook the crepes

• Heat a non-stick crepe pan over medium-high heat.
• Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter onto the crepe pan and swirl rapidly to distribute the batter so that it coats the bottom of the pan completely.
• Cook for about 1 minute and watch closely; once the crepe appears to be mostly set on top and the edges easily pull away from the sides, it is time to flip.
• Flip the crepe and sprinkle half the circle with 2-3 tablespoons of gruyere cheese.
• Wait for the cheese to begin melting and then fold the crepe in half. If it doesn't look fully cooked, flip the crepe a few times until it is lightly browned.
• Fold in half again and set aside. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Top crepes with mushroom mixture and serve immediately.