Seafood Crepes with Hollandaise

Makes about 24 crepes

Basic Crepe Recipe

Ingredients:

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

¾-1  cup flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp salt

2-3 oz Clarified butter or canola oil for cooking the crepes

Seafood filling

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh Crabmeat( meat only)

1 lb medium shrimp (50-60 count)

Peeled and deveined, defrosted and patted dry

1 lb bay scallops, defrosted and patted dry

¼ cup chopped shallots

1 tbsp chopped garlic

Juice and grated zest of 2 lemons

¼ lb butter

½ cup heavy cream

½ pound grated gruyere cheese

2 tbsp chopped curly parsley

1 medium red bell pepper cut brunoise

1 tsp rubbed whole thyme leaves

Salt and ground white pepper to taste

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

12 egg yolks

2 lbs butter clarified and kept warm

4-5 tablespoons Acid reduction of the following

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup wine vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Cracked black pepper

Pinch of salt

Step 1 : Basic Crepe

Method of preparation-   In a large bowl mix the wet ingredients thoroughly , slowly add in the flour until consistency is that of a creme fraiche(slightly thick but runny) whisk in the salt and sugar and canola oil. Whisk well, strain into a separate bowl and let rest for a few minutes before making the crepes. In a large non stick skillet heat to medium high heat, either using butter or oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, ladle in enough batter to thinly coat the pan, pour off excess batter back into the bowl, using a heat proof spatula gently, ease the edges away from the pan, when batter is cooked, gently flip over and cook for no more than 10 seconds on other side, place on to a platter or plate, and repeat until you have your desired number of crepes. These can be made ahead and reheated covered in the oven or in a microwave.

Step 2 : Making Seafood Filling

Makes about 3 lbs of filling

Method of preparation- in a large pot or skillet, heat on medium heat and melt the butter without color, add in the shallots and garlic and sweat them for about 2 minutes, add in the lemon zest & juice then add in the cream, bring to a simmer and add in the shrimp, then the scallops , cook gently until about ¾ cooked, add in the crab meat, return to a low simmer , stirring all the while, add in the thyme and the gruyere cheese , it should be a thick creamy mass at this point, correct seasoning, remove from heat and mix in the chopped parsley. Let cool or refrigerate overnight. Can be made a day ahead .

assembling the crepes roll or fill the crepes, which way you prefer  with even amounts of the seafood filing, can be rolled a day ahead , and reheated well covered in a 325*F oven. Serve with Hollandaise sauce or other appropriate sauce of your choice. Serve on their own, or with other accompaniments of your choice.

Making Hollandaise Sauce 

Makes about 3 cups

In classic French cooking Hollandaise is one of the ‘Mother' sauces, meaning it is the base for many other variations that can  be made from it. This is technically a skill young cooks are taught early, as it can be a bit tricky as the whole secret to it is creating the perfect emulsion without splitting it or cooking the eggs in the process. In fact most restaurants that offer this sauce now use a commercial mix that is less tricky to handle and doesn't run afoul of food handling practices( time and temperature holding)

Method of preparation - separate the egg yolks into a large stainless steel bowl, keep aside. To make the acid reduction, place all ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil and reduce the liquid volume by half to concentrate the acid content. Let cool, this  can literally be made weeks ahead and refrigerated.

Into your egg yolks, add in the desired amount of the acid reduction, and whisk thoroughly into your yolks,

Over a double boiler with simmering water, whisk the egg yolks vigorously, until it start to thicken, you may need to remove the bowl from the double boiler so as no to cook the yolks, once the frothy sabayon is whipped and thick, you will gradually ladle the warm clarified butter into the egg yolk mixture, approx. 2 oz of butter per yolk, when ready keep in warm place until ready to serve on your desired item.  This sauce cannot be made ahead , or stored or reheated .