Recipes Menu Crepes: Dramatic, Quick and Easy! by Holly Rowland Crepes, Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Home Cook by Lou Seibert Pappas, a Chronicle/Raincoast Book, $18.95 Crepes - those wonderful wafer-thin French pancakes, filled with light sauces and fillings, once tried, will become sinfully addictive. Happily they may be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen, to fill later. Fast to assemble and stuffed with a variety of savory fillings, fresh vegetables and herbs, seafood, poultry, and meat. Filled with seasonal fruit, soufflés, sauces, sorbets, or ice cream, they become sensational desserts. Choosing a recipe was tough. I would love just to place this cookbook in each and every one of your collective hands. It’s that good! I would also highly recommend it to professional chefs who could bend the recipes to their joy of cooking. Lou Seibert Pappas tells you all there is to know about crepes, from eleven kinds of Savory Crepes, to three kinds of Dessert Crepes. These different kinds of crepes are easy to make (a blender is recommended) and take on dozens of palate pleasing roles. For example: Baked Egg Crepe Cups, delicious crepes tucked into muffin tins, make easy fluted pastry cases for baked eggs and mushrooms, and an exciting addition to your brunch menu. Or perhaps Breakfast Crepes, savory or dessert crepes filled with fresh seasonal fruit and all sorts of yummy things. Then how about Turkey-Mushroom Crepe Cake, or Four-Cheese Rolls with Cherry Tomatoes? Or Langoustine, Avocado and Mango Crepes? And what about Desserts? How does Cherries Jubilee Crepe or Grand Marnier Soufflé Half-Moon Crepes grab you? These are just a few of Pappas’ recipes that make her cookbook a “keeper.” In celebration of Valentine’s Day here’s Chocolate at its best. Chocolate Soufflé Half-Moon Crepes Serves 6 (Twelve 6 or 7 inch crepes) *Chocolate Crepes (These may be made ahead, frozen or refrigerated) 2 large eggs 1 cup milk 1/3 cup water ¾ all purpose flour and 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar   1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tbsp. rum, Cointreau or other liqueur (optional) 2 tbsp. butter, melted, plus 2 to 3 teaspoons for coating the pan * This recipe makes sixteen to eighteen 6 or 7 inch crepes. In a blender or food processor blend all the ingredients, (except 2-3 tsp. butter for coating the pan) for 5 seconds or until smooth. Stir down and repeat, if necessary. Or mix by hand: Sift dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Whisk eggs and wet ingredients and flavourings together until blended and whisk this mixture into the flour; stir in the 2 to 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. (2 hours is preferable) or up to 24 hours. Gently stir the batter if it has separated. Heat a seasoned 6 or 7 inch non-stick crepe pan over medium-high heat until hot. Wipe the pan lightly with butter, lift the pan from the heat, and pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter, tilting and rotating the pan to coat the surface. Cook until almost dry on top and lightly browned around the edges, about 1 minute. Loosen the edges with a metal spatula, and flip the crepe over using your fingers or the spatula, then cook the other side for about 15 seconds, or until lightly browned turn the crepe onto a clean tea towel to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter, wiping the pan with butter as needed and stacking the crepes as they are cooked. For serving immediately, cover the crepes with foil and keep warm in a pre-heated 200 degree oven. For serving later, wrap them in plastic wrap in quantities needed for each use and slip them into a self-sealing plastic bag. Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze them up to 2 months. Chocolate Soufflé 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 4 eggs, separated 1/8 teaspoon salt   1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 5 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract Garnish Powdered sugar for dusting Whipped cream or vanilla or coffee ice cream Prepare the crepes (or remove from ‘fridge or freezer, bring to room temperature) To make the chocolate soufflé: In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate. Let cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Add 3 tablespoons of the sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale. Beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir in the chocolate and vanilla. Mix one-third of the egg whites into the yolks, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Place the crepes on 2 lightly buttered baking sheets. Spoon 2 rounded spoonfuls of soufflé on one half of each crepe and fold the other half over gently to cover. If desired assemble to this point and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until puffed and set. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve at once, topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Recipes Menu