Normally, that stuff would've rotted in the fridge until it became a science experiment (hey look, my chocolate Easter Bunny from six months ago is growing real fur!). Instead, the Virgin took it upon herself to turn tomorrow's potential food trash into today's culinary treasure.
Read on for a step-by-step guide to making post-holiday ham & cheese crepes and a dessert version made with savory cheese and leftover Reese's peanut butter eggs!
The bodice-clad wenches at the Arizona Renaissance Festival's food booths make crepe-making look like a serious ancient art. But you don't need a fancy round flat plate grill or a batter dispersal tool that looks like a miniature Zen garden rake in order to make excellent crepes at home. It's a surprisingly simple process.
Combine 1 cup each flour and water in a small bowl. Add 2 eggs, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of melted butter to the batter and whisk until smooth. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat until warm. Ladle in 3 or 4 tablespoons of crepe batter.Remove pan from heat and swirl batter around in pan until a thin layer coats the bottom of the pan. Use additional batter to cover any holes if necessary.
Put the pan back on the stovetop and cook crepe for 2-3 minutes until edges release from the pan easily. When the batter doesn't pull up and starts to clump together in a nasty-ass pile of dough, realize you probably should've greased the pan even though it's supposed to be non-stick.
Trash your screw-up and start again, spraying or greasing the pan lightly before battering.
If you're a crepe-making virgin, too, you'll likely mess up a few times and end up with a trash can full of lumpy wads of half-folded crepe dough. Don't feel bad; that's why the instructions make enough crepe batter for a dozen or so mishaps.
When edges of crepe are firm, slide a large flat spatula under one edge and flip the whole crepe over in the pan. It's easier than it sounds, but if you go all Julia Child on the crepe and try to flip it in the air, I hope your floor is a non-stick surface. Otherwise, you'll be mopping up dough pieces for days.
Cook the other side of the crepe for about one minute and then add toppings. For savory crepes, I used sliced leftover ham and Kerrygold Dubliner aged cheddar paired with Dijon mustard. Fold edges of crepe up and enjoy!
For a sweet dessert inspired by Jobot's cannoli crepe, dice up leftover Easter chocolate (I used a giant Reese's peanut butter egg). Smooth two tablespoons of fresh ricotta cheese onto the hot crepe and add chocolate pieces and slivered almonds. The resulting dessert crepe has a slightly salty finish that blunts the sugar coma-inducing sweetness of the candy.
Maybe next year, we'll skip the full dinner and just have the "leftovers" crepes instead!
