Have you heard about the new Cooking Channel? It’s run by Michael Smith and is a sister channel to the Food Network. Among some new chefs it also shows some older foodie TV series. Like Julia & Company and Nigella Lawson when she was much younger. So I’ve set up my Tivo to record Julia and Nigella both. And in the first recorded show that I watched of Julia she was creating a baked creamed corn and scoffed at the work required to scrape the kernels off 12 ears of corn. I nearly laughed out loud since I was just writing up another post and was scoffing, myself, at most of Julia’s recipes. And the time it takes to make one of her recipes – like Beef Bourguignon, for instance. So why she would not scrape 12 ears of corn, I don’t understand!
A week or so ago my friend Cherrie and I went to a cooking class about more of Julia Child’s recipes. Phillis Carey did the cooking, and made four dishes at the class. These crepes, a pork roast, quenelles and a lemon soufflé tart. To tell you the honest truth, I’m not sure I’d make even one of them. They’re just too darned much work. And although I like pork roast, I didn’t think Julia’s recipe was all that great. And the shrimp quenelles – oh my goodness! You know what they are, right? Little French kind of oval-shaped dumplings. They are nothing short of a labor of love. And they were just okay, served with a very rich chive beurre blanc sauce, but would I make them? No. The lemon soufflé tart was good. Very good, actually. But the different steps, the different pans and bowls required, the mountain of dishes deter me from even thinking about making it. I will give you the recipe for it, in case you’d like to make it.
The only one of the four dishes that I really liked was the crepes gateau. But oh, are they a ton of work. Maybe Cherrie and I will pool our resources, divide up the labor and make it once for our husbands. Cherrie and I both thought the spinach overpowered the mushrooms, so we thought we might use twice as much mushroom filling as spinach. But whichever, Phillis told us it’s a first course. Not like a main course. I think we’d have to make it a main – no way would I want to make something else other than a green salad, perhaps, to go with it. With an appetizer maybe and dessert, it would have to be a complete meal. It also would make a lovely brunch dish, I think. For that matter, just look at the calorie count – nearly 1000 calories for a wedge!
printer-friendly PDF
Gateau de Crepes a la Florentine
Recipe By: Julia Child’s recipe, adapted by Phillis Carey, 2010
Serving Size: 6
CREPES:
2 cups cold water
2 cups cold milk
8 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons melted butter — plus more for the pan
MORNAY SAUCE:
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter
2 3/4 cups whole milk — boiling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch grated nutmeg — large pinch
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup Gruyere cheese — or Emmental, grated
SPINACH FILLING:
1 tablespoon shallots — minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped spinach — blanched, or 3 boxes frozen chopped spinach
1/4 teaspoon salt
CHEESE/MUSHROOM FILLING:
8 ounces cream cheese — softened
salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg
1 cup fresh mushrooms — minced in food processor
1 tablespoon green onions — minced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
TOPPING/MOUND:
3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — grated
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1. CREPES: Put the liquid, eggs and salt in blender jar. Add flour, then butter. Cover, blend top speed for one minute. If bits of flour adhere to sides of jar, scrape and blend further. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. The batter should be a consistency of light cream, just thick enough to coat a wooden spoon. If, after making your first crepe, it seems too heavy, beat in a bit of water, a spoonful at a time.
2. The first crepe is a trial one to test the batter consistency, the exact amount you need for the pan, and the heat. Brush flat skillet (high sides make it difficult to turn) lightly with oil. Set over moderately high heat until pan is just beginning to smoke. Immediately remove from heat, pour with your predominant hand a scant 1/4 cup batter into middle. Tilt quickly in all directions to run batter all over bottom in a thin film. If you have too much batter, pour it back into the bowl and judge the measurement for subsequent crepes. This should take no more than 2-3 seconds. Return pan to heat for 60-80 seconds.
3. Jerk and toss pan sharply back and forth, up/down to loosen crepe. Lift edges with spatula and if underside is light brown, turn over using 2 spatulas, if necessary, or grasp edge with two fingers. Brown lightly for about 30 seconds on other side. The second side is rarely more than a spotty brown and is always kept as the non-viewing side. As each crepe is finished, slide onto a rack and let cool, stacking on a plate. Grease the skillet again, heat just to smoking and proceed as above. Crepes may be kept warm by covering them with a dish and setting them over simmering water, or in a very slow oven. Or they may be made several hours in advance and reheated when needed. They freeze well, separated with waxed paper. Makes 24 crepes.
4. SAUCE: Cook the flour and butter slowly together in saucepan for 2 minutes without coloring the flour. Off the heat beat in the boiling milk and seasonings. Boil, stirring for one minute. Reduce to simmer and stir in cream by tablespoons. Sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon fairly heavily. Remove from heat and correct seasoning. Stir in cheese. Pour a very small amount of milk over the top of the sauce (to make a solid film) to prevent a skin from forming.
5. SPINACH FILLING: Cook shallots in butter for a minute in a medium saucepan. Add spinach and salt, stir over moderately high heat for 2-3 minutes to evaporate moisture. Stir in 1/2 to 2/3 cup of the Mornay Sauce (above). Cover and simmer slowly for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Correct seasoning and set aside.
6. CHEESE/MUSHROOM FILLING: Mash cream cheese in a mixing bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Beat in 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the Mornay Sauce (above) and the egg. Saute the mushrooms and green onions in butter and oil for 5-6 minutes in a small skillet. Stir them into the cheese mixture and correct seasoning.
7. TOPPING: Butter a 9-inch round baking dish (or a higher sided cake pan at least 1 1/2 inches deep) and center a crepe in the bottom. Spread with layer of cheese/mushroom filling. Continue with alternating layers of crepes and filling, ending with a crepe. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano cheese and dot with 3-4 pea-sized bits of butter. Set aside.
8. BAKING: Preheat oven to 350. Place gateau in the upper third of oven and heat thoroughly, about 25-30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. To serve, cut in pie-shaped wedges and drizzle with additional Mornay Sauce on top and over the sides of each piece.
Per Serving: 978 Calories; 65g Fat (59.9% calories from fat); 33g Protein; 65g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 491mg Cholesterol; 1250mg Sodium.
One year ago: White Gazpacho Soup
Two years ago: Asparagus – everything you ever wanted to know
Leave a Comment!