Don's Parmesan Crepes Stuffed with Sheer Awesomeness

Lucky Girl . . .

Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out with three of the most eligible bachelors I know: Don, Tyler and Ron.  Don is a good friend of mine who has been evolving into a real foodie.  He graciously invited me into his kitchen and let me teach him how to make one of my favorite recipes ever- Parmesan crepes (more accurately, I just showed up with bags of groceries and declared that I was teaching him how to cook something awesome). 

The evening was filled with food, drinks, and lots of laughter.  I was lucky to be surrounded by three handsome young men who are loving the bachelor life.  Ahhh . . . bachelorhood.  There are lots of perks, I think, to being an attractive, unattached man.  First off, women tend to throw themselves at you (that is, if the table conversation at tonight's dinner was true. I have my doubts though.  How are there that many "so-hot-should-be-a-stripper" single ladies looking to casually date out there, anyhow?).  Secondly, bachelors really live their lives with a "no one is the boss of me" attitude.  They seem to always be making the "moves," as if there is no turn-off switch. I assume they just hit on all women to practice for the times they want to actually close the deal.   I think bachelors often have a confidence that is lacking in many married men and, in my experience, just revel in being a dude.  It's refreshing to be around.  Unless you're trying to date an "extreme-casual-dater," that is (great phrase, isn't it?  Don coined that one).  I'm thinking now, surrounded as I was by single men, that I probably should've been using my camera to shoot a calendar rather than crepes!

Ron man-handled the grill and, frankly,
smells better than the chicken . . .
and I'm not just saying that because I'm a vegetarian! 

We were crowded into the kitchen.  While Don and I were working, Ron popped in and out as he manned the grill.  Ron, in spite of my feminine wiles, wanted nothing to do with what we were cooking up and grilled hot wings and chicken breasts for himself.  Even after a couple dedicated years of being a vegetarian, I have to admit they smelled and looked really good.

I'm posting this recipe as more of a photo collage, since we were a bit casual about amounts used (the best kinds of dishes are made that way, in my opinion).  At the end of the pictures you will find the ingredients and amounts listed for you.





Parmesan Crepes with Bechamel Sauce, Stuffed with
gardein "chicken," Asparagus, Sundried Tomatoes, Shallots and Gruyere Cheese
(See why I changed the name to Don's Parmesan Crepes Stuffed with Sheer Awesomeness?)



Before making the crepes (which is the most difficult step for this dish) we prepared all the ingredients for the filling, starting with the asparagus.

2 bunches of asparagus

1 cup coarsley-chopped parsley

Drizzle asparagus with olive oil.  Season with sea salt and white pepper then add parsley

Mix it all up with your hands until the spears are coated evenly then bake for 12 minutes at 425°

Um . . . these were ahhhhmazing!

Next, shallots and sundried tomatoes.

1 cup coarsley-chopped shallots

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, julliened

Cook up the shallots in olive oil and 1 clove minced garlic until glistening

Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes or so

Looking at this picture I just realized that I left the jar of tomatoes at Don's.  This combination of shallots sauteed with the tomatoes could have been a meal in itself.  A meal I'd be having right now if I had sense enough to bring the jar home with me!

"Chicken" comes next

Prepare 2 pieces of gardein "chicken" in a little oil

When they're done, let them rest for about 5 minutes before chopping them in small chunks

Gruyere cheese

Don't do this half-assed, People.  Fork over the money to get good-quality cheese.

Shred 8 ounces of Gruyere

Now that most of the filling is done, Don is ready to tackle the crepes

Here's the "student" himself, getting ready to master making crepes.  The next lady he makes dinner for will have me to thank, that's for sure.

1 cup flour

1/2 cup finely-ground Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups milk and 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

2 eggs

I love the look of concentration on Don's face. 

 

Honestly, a quick peek into his cupboards and you would see that he really is an experienced cook who enjoys trying new things. 

He'd never made crepes before, but, as a self-proclaimed Master of All Flippable Foods, he quickly got the hang of it.

Mix well

Spray a small 8" pan generously with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Drop about 2 tablespoons of batter in the center of the hot pan, then swirl the pan until the batter reaches the edges and forms into a nice round shape.  Cook for about 1 minute.  You'll see it start to bubble and the edges will firm up a little

Flip it carefully.  Don't worry if the first few aren't so hot.  After 3 or so, you'll be a pro.  Cook it on the other side for about 20 seconds, then flip the crepe out of the pan onto a waiting dish

Melt 4 tablespoons of Earth Balance or butter

Next, make the sauce.  This sauce is not for the weak of heart (meaning- those who have a weak heart).  I'm sure it could cause cardiac distress.

Whisk in 1/4 cup flour and white pepper, and cook until fragrant and thick, stirring constantly.  Ron's helping me by whisking it, but I still can't convince him to try it

Grab a palmful of the Gruyere and stir it in the sauce.  Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine or vermouth and enough "No-Chicken Broth" to thin sauce to your desired consistency.  Reserve about a cup of the sauce and set aside

Add the "chicken," shallots and tomatoes and stir to mix

Don's last crepe- a beauty.  Now we're ready to assemble it.

Add a heaping tablespoon of the sauce/"chicken"/veg mix and smooth over crepe

Lay 3 or 4 asparagus stalks on top, then sprinkle some Gruyere over that.  Roll up the crepe

Ron's chicken turned out great, so the boys had very full plates.  Later, as they watched the Tiger game after dinner it was clear they had full bellies as well. 

Assembly time.  Once crepe is rolled, cover with a spoonful of the reserved sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan.  It would be even better popped under the broiler for a minute or so, but we were so hungry we skipped that step

Tyler is ready to take the first bite.  Young or old-- I love to watch a boy eat.  Look how cute he is!  After a couple bites he took a picture of it with his phone.  He said it was the best thing he ever tasted but, who knows?  Like I said, men are always flirting.

:-)

Ron's on picture duty so we can enjoy Don's creation

White wine was perfect with this

Giving props to Ron and his mad skills on the barbeque.  These looked good enough to eat.  Which the menfolk did!

Reacting to Tyler saying something charming . . .

Best part of the night?  Enjoying a glass of wine after dinner, knowing that I didn't have to do any of the dishes!!!

Don declares it a victory.  Tres magnifique!

All in all, I can safely say I was a very lucky girl last night.  I had a great dinner, good wine, and a lot of laughs.  Doesn't hurt being the only lady at a table with three very handsome men.  It's good to hang out in a testosterone cloud now and again.  :-)

Filling:

 

½ cup diced shallots

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned, extra for garnish

1 cup diced gardein "chicken"
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Sauce: 

4 tablespoons Earth Balance or butter
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup vermouth or white wine
1 ¼ cup milk

½ cup Gruyere cheese, grated
No-Chicken Broth (for thinning sauce to desired consistency)

 

 

 

 

Parmesan Crepes:

1 cup flour
1½ cups milk
2 eggs
¼  cup finely grated Parmesan (powdered)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

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Gardein Cutlets with Roasted Asparagus, Savory Amaranth and Cashew Cream

It is going to take longer to type this post than it took to cook this meal!

When I was originally stocking my pantry for my venture into vegetarianism, I dedicated an entire shelf to grains of all kinds. Most of my collection has been used multiple times in the past year (even teff, which I had never even heard of and now use often). I've had one package of amaranth sitting on that shelf, and had only used it once or twice for bread. Amaranth seems to be used quite often as a hot cereal. It cooks up a lot like Cream of Wheat, with a very similar texture.

Problem is, I'm not much of a "cereal for breakfast" kind of gal. So- there the amaranth sat, waiting patiently for it's turn in the bread-making rotation.

This recipe started out centered on the amaranth. I wanted to make something that was savory and creamy and warm in the belly. Start to finish was about 30 minutes, or the time it took for the amaranth to cook.

Cashew Cream
Typically, cashew cream is made after soaking the cashews in water overnight. I hadn't thought of making it, though, until I had already started dinner. I made it in less than 5 minutes, with no prior soaking, and it was still creamy and delicious. This keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can also freeze it (but may need to re-blend when it thaws). It's a beautiful and easy way to "cream up" a dish, from soup to sweets, whether you use it plain or add flavor like nutmeg and vanilla.

2 cups raw cashews, whole
Purified water (enough to just cover the cashews when they're in the food processor or blender)



1. Put cashews into a food processor or a really good blender (Vita-Mix seems to be the brand of choice on the foodie blogs I visit)
2. Do a quick pulse to break up the nuts a little bit prior to adding water. Most recipes I've read have you add the water and whole nuts together then blend them both. I tried that and the water sprayed out of my food processor and doused my t-shirt. (Sounds sexy, but it wasn't!)
3. Add only enough water to just cover the nuts. Thicker cream calls for less water.
4. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding little bits of water as necessary. If you're patient, it will get nice and smooth. I was mostly patient, so I had some teeny-tiny texture going in mine; it worked really well for this particular recipe, though.
5. Chill cream in the fridge until ready to serve.


Simply Savory Amaranth

1 cup Amaranth Grain
3 cups Imagine No-Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 dollop Earth's Balance
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste



1. Add amaranth, broth, and seasonings to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the grain has thickened.
2. Stir in dollop of Earth's Balance prior to serving up if desired.

Roasted Asparagus
This is a no-frills, easy-peasy way to cook asparagus.

1 bunch of fresh aparagus, cleaned and trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste



1. Preheat oven to 425° (I make this in my toaster oven at the same temperature)
2. Pour the oil and spices on the baking sheet and, using your hands, roll the asparagus around in the mixture until they're coated with yumminess.
3. Spread the asparagus out evenly, and roast in pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes.
4. When done, trim stalks into 1" segments.

Gardein Cutlets

1. Cook frozen Gardein cutlets in skillet on medium-high in some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook cutlets until they are heated through and begin to turn brown on each side.
3. Let cutlets rest about a minute prior to cutting them and serving.

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