Breakfast for Dinner? It's well worth the effort.

Endeavoring to enhance my culinary skills, I wanted to try a recipe this week that would be a little more challenging than what I had tried previously.  Searching the web for recipes specifically listed as “difficult” I knew I had a winner the minute I found the recipe we are featuring in today’s post.

Having been a long time fan of crepes, primarily those filled with jams and other sweet goodies, I had never thought to prepare them myself because I had always found them a bit intimidating.  It takes a while to prepare crepes properly.  I was always into immediate gratification. Anyway, who would ever have considered crepes as part of a weight loss program?  Certainly not I.  Surprise!!

This particular crepe recipe is a savory dish perfect for any meal, including dinner.  It was a little challenging at first, but the result was delicious.  Judy and I will definitely include new and different varieties of crepes again as part of our future meal planning.

There are several steps involved in the preparation and cooking of our featured dish.  Each step must be followed in the proper order.  In the end you will have a winning dish that both satisfies and amazes you and your dinner companions.

Note: I find it helpful with any of the recipes I prepare to measure out all of the ingredients ahead of time, so that everything is ready when it's needed.  This is especially important with a complicated recipe such as today's.

From our kitchen to yours. Enjoy the adventure.

Ham and Mushroom Crepes

Ingredients

Crepe

Ham and Mushroom Crepes

½ cup whole wheat flour, all natural

¼ tsp Salt

¾ cup low fat Milk 2%

2 large Eggs

Sauce

¾ cup low fat Milk, 2%

¾ cup Chicken Broth, fat free, low sodium

3 Tbsp whole wheat Flour, all natural

3 Tbsp Dry Sherry

1/8 tsp Nutmeg, ground

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/8 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

½ cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped

Filling

8 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, sliced, about 2 cups

3 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp Dry sherry

1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped

¼ tsp Salt

6 oz cooked Ham, thinly sliced, about 1 oz per slice

Instructions

To prepare the Crepes, Combine the flour and Salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the Milk and Eggs in a separate bowl. Slowly whisk the Milk and Egg mixture into the Flour mixture until smooth. Let stand at least 15 minutes.

Spray a small nonstick skillet or crepe pan with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Stir the batter and pour ¼ cup of the mixture into the skillet, tilting in all directions to form a thin, even layer. Cook until the top is set and the bottom is golden, about 1 – 1 ½ minutes. Flip the crepe and cook the other side about 15 – 20 seconds until golden.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter to make 6 crepes. Remember to spray the skillet between crepes.  Cover all crepes loosely with plastic wrap and set aside.

To prepare the Sauce, Whisk together the Milk, Chicken broth, Flour, 3 Tbsp of Sherry, Nutmeg, Cayenne Pepper, and Black Pepper in a medium saucepan until smooth.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 6 – 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the Cheese and 1 Tbsp of the Parsley; Cover and keep warm.

To prepare the Filling, Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium high heat.  Add the Mushrooms, Garlic, and Salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the Mushrooms soften, about 5 – 6 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp of Sherry and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 1 – 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp of Parsley.  Let cool slightly for a minute or two.

Final assembly of Crepes. Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray a 7 x 11 inch, or similar, baking dish with cooking spray.  Arrange the crepes side by side on a flat work surface.  Lay one slice of Ham on each crepe.  Spread each with 1 Tablespoon of the sauce and about 2 Tablespoons of the Mushrooms, 1/6^th of the total.  Roll up the Crepes, jelly-roll style, and transfer to the baking dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over the Crepes to cover.  Bake until the sauce is bubbly and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Yields 1 Crepe per serving.  PointsPlus value per serving is 5.  It’s OK to splurge and have 2.    Prep time is about 25 minutes. Cooking time is about 45 minutes. Level of difficulty is Difficult, but worth it.

Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.

Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate. 

Photo by Barry Baruh