Just when I thought the autumn sunshine couldn’t get any brighter and I happily decided to not yet dig out my heavy Winter clothes and my so beloved collection of colorful woolen hats, the piles of work on my desk are …well, piling up, what else. And so are my emails. Before I cut to the chase, let me assure you how much I love to receive emails, all kinds of emails. I do. Pictures from a newborn baby-girl (thank you, Sven), an update on a recent move (traveling again, Courtney?) or especially tempting recipes which will be moved to my to try-folder immediately (XOX, Claudia). But then, there are other mails. And I’m not talking about a regular business email or the you’ve-won-the-lottery (and worse) type spam.
Let’s just call them “Thank you for asking” and “PR bummer“: The latter group just doesn’t seem to ever become extinct, we get strange offers every other day. And they seem to become increasingly stranger. Helpful information for PR companies on how to properly approach bloggers IS readily available, to those who make the effort google, yet old habits die hard. Most companies don’t even bother to find out your actual name and as soon as I stumble across phrases like link exchange, with huge benefits for your site or will increase traffic tremendously, my index finger – already hovering over the delete button – starts weighing a ton.
And then there’s: Thank you for asking. Maybe I missed the first omen, but since when have I become an omniscient guide book? Don’t get me wrong, I feel flattered to be considered a reliable source of culinary knowledge, but, truth be told, I’m a food blogger, a passionate one indeed, but not a culinary dictionary or recipe book in standby mode. It’s hard to think of a non-ironic response to someone who messed with a recipe, omitting three key ingredients and complaining about why it didn’t work out. Better yet, inquiries about generic items well covered on the Net by people oblivious to Google or Wikipedia, but squeeze my brain for something as exotic as Ricotta. Ricotta what? Still, my favorites are the ones asking for complimentary support for their business, may it be a restaurant, online service or a coffee shop. I almost choked when I read one of the recent inquiries: ‘Want to open up a coffee bar and am seeking for easy recipes. As I don’t find any recipes online, maybe you could help me?
Recipes online? Really?! Who told you that crap?
On the bright side, when dear readers and friends suggest certain culinary topics or recipes they would like to see covered on delicious:days, I’m all ears. Sometimes I have to think about a topic for some time, but when Anja (happy “sneaker” and 24/7 busy business girl) asked for a speedy dinner option to not always have to give in to the same pasta creations, I told her about my latest fast food addiction: filled Crêpes, autumn-style.
Start with the batter: In a large bowl add the flour, the salt and the eggs, beat until combined (don’t overdo it), then add the milk and blend well. Sticking to the described order will help to avoid annoying lumps. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then add the chopped parsley.
Prepare the filling: Heat about a teaspoon of butter in a pan, then add the finely diced shallot as well as the pancetta. Fry on medium heat until everything has gained a nice golden color. Add the cleaned baby chanterelles (“Reherl“), season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sauté for a few more minutes before you add the chopped parsley. Keep warm on very low heat.
Heat a preferably non-stick pan (mine is 28 cm/11 inch diameter) over medium to high heat and add a teaspoon of clarified butter. If a drop of water thrown into the pan starts to sizzle, you can begin to bake your Crêpes.
Pour a ladle of batter in the middle of the pan and move it swiftly until the batter completely covers the bottom of the pan and forms a nice round shape. Flip as soon as the bottom side shows signs of golden brown spots, then sprinkle with some cheese (optional) and spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chanterelle filling in one quarter of the Crêpe. Fold over the empty crepe half and repeat. Voila, a folded and filled Crêpe! Serve immediately.
Add some more clarified butter to the pan and start over again until all of the batter is used up.
Crêpes, Autumn-style
Recipe source: own creation
Prep time: ~30 minutes
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Ingredients (yields ~4 filled Crêpes):
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chanterelle filling
(the filling can be adapted to your taste and pantry, you can also use bacon, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, different mushrooms, etc.)
1 tsp butter
1 small shallot, finely diced
6 slices of Pancetta, finely chopped
250g of baby Chanterelles
2 tbsp of fresh parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
optional: ~ 50g Parmesan or Pecorino, grated
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pancakes with parsley
125g all-purpose flour
two large eggs
a pinch of salt
250ml milk
4 tbsp of chopped parsley (or more)
clarified butter for the pan
Oct 16th,
2007
delicious! one little thing: euer rss feed lässt sich nicht abonnieren ;-(
EDIT: Ups, haben an der Seite gebastelt und vergessen eine Testanweisung rauszunehmen - jetzt geht's wieder. Merci für die Info :)