Cooking Up A Hooley in the Kitchen: Homemade French on the Outside, Irish on the Inside Crepes

Cooking Up a Hooley In the Kitchen
By Katie Gagne

~~ French on the Outside, Irish on the Inside~~

My niece Sydney and I are crazy about crepes! We love them all – sweet and savory.  So it’s been on my “One Day List” (things I plan to get to .  .  .  one day). With a little extra time on my hands at home, I decided to try and make these amazing delights. I searched dozens of recipes watched quite a few videos and came up with a version that seems simple and authentic. What is great about crepes is the limitless fillings you can use. So, I thought of a few with a little Irish flair.

Homemade French Crepes
Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, plus 4 more to use in the pan

1 cup AP Flour

1 tablespoon Granulated White Sugar

1/8 teaspoon Salt

¾ cup Whole Milk

½ cup Water – room temperature

2 large Eggs

1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla

Melt 3 tablespoons of Unsalted Butter in saucepan or in microwave

Let butter cool for 10 minutes

Combine all ingredients in blender and mix for 30-45 seconds. It will look like a thick velvety cream.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and as long as overnight.

Using an 8inch skillet – heat on medium and melt ½ teaspoon of butter – coat bottom of skillet.

Pour 3-4 tablespoons of batter into skillet and swirl around to coat the entire area in the skillet. It should be a thin coating.

Let cook until edges are slightly golden and spatula slides under easily. Flip and let cook for 1-2 additional minutes.

Place on plate to keep warm and repeat the process, making sure to re-butter the pan between each crepe.

Crepes taste great warm or room temperature. Unused crepes can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

These really are much easier than I thought. I threw out the first one but after the next few, I really got the hang of it. I will definitely be making these often.

Now for the fun part – the fillings. These are only limited by your imagination.

To fill the crepes, place fillings in the center of each individual crepe and fold the side into the middle overlapping. Leave the ends open. Top with your favorite sauce.

I made a sweet one — Chocolate Chip Banana with a Baileys Chocolate Whipped Cream and a Dark Chocolate Drizzle and a savory one – Caramelized Jameson Mushrooms with Brie Cheese and a Kerrygold Swiss Cheese Sauce.

Baileys Chocolate Whipped Cream

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

2 tablespoons Powdered Sugar

2 tablespoons Dark Cocoa Powder

2 tablespoons Baileys

Whip cream with a hand or stand mixer until almost set – medium stiff peaks.

Add sugar and cocoa and whip until blended.

Add Baileys and whip until stiff peaks form

Whisky Caramelized Mushrooms

2 cups sliced Button Mushrooms

2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 tablespoon Garlic Salt

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/3 cup Jameson Whisky

Saute the mushrooms, garlic salt, pepper, and butter in a pan until soft and starting to brown. Add the whisky and cook until reduced – about 5 minutes. Drain any extra juices.

Swiss Cheese Sauce

1 cup Whole Milk

1 cup shredded Kerrygold Swiss Cheese

Cook milk in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Add in cheese and whisk until blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Katie Gagne teaches English at Trinity High School in Garfield Heights. She is also the owner of her in-home bakery Sassy’s Sweets and Oh So Much More. You can contact her at (440) 773-4459 or at [email protected].