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46 Comments These delicious savory crespelles are easy to make and you can fill them with whatever you like. I went with the recipe exactly as it was written by Marcella Hazan (The essentials of classic Italian cooking) and loved it. (and apologies for the ancient photographs which I will hopefully soon replace)
Crespelles
When reading this recipe I knew it was going to be a tricky one as it includes quite some mozarella as well as Parmezan. Having a guy who does not like cheese (….), I had the feeling it would possibly be too cheesy… 🙂 And I was right.. He was not amused..lol
Ok, it happens maybe once or twice a year that I make something that he really does not like and today was one of those days! Of course I had anticipated that might happen, so to make up for it I had also prepared a delicious dessert with chocolate mousse which I knew he would love. You gotta do something to keep ‘m happy! Of course he has no reason to complain, if I may say so myself and he didn’t.. Well, mmm, not really; he pulled a disgusted face, pushed the plate aside and declared he would not be eating that. I was happy I had kept some of the ‘naked’ crespelles so he had those with icing sugar… 🙂
Essentially these are pancakes
So what did I think of the crespelles? Making the pancakes was really easy. I am not sure how it is in other countries, but I always feel that making pancakes (which these crespelles really are) is something of a Dutch pastime. I grew up making pancakes, so that was really quite easy. The only thing was that they curled up a bit on one side as soon as you flipped them over. Not sure why that was but it didn’t really hurt anyone so nothing to worry about I would guess.
All in all this was a pretty straightforward and easy recipe, which I will undoubtedly not make again since it’s a bit too much work to make for one. I love to cook, but I love it even more when someone else actually enjoys eating it. It’s not fun when they look disgusted!
Never enough cheese
I did like the crespelles, although had I known that I would be eating it alone, I would have added more Parmesan to spice up the taste. Things cannot get too cheesy for me but since I still hoped (against my better judgment) he might eat it, I went easy on the cheese. So much for good manners!
I just took a few quick snaps, but that seems to be what I do most of the times these days. That is one of the advantages of things like dessert or cakes and cookies. You have much more time to take decent photographs of the finished products! With actual meals you have to be quick to prevent an uprising of hungry husbands… 🙂
Of the Marcella recipes I have made sofar this was definitely the quickest to make, so in that sense it was a real winner and it sure has potential. I might try a non cheesy version for next time. I think it’s quite versatile and would be easy to adjust to your own liking.
Here is the recipe!
Crespelles with prosciutto, tomatoes and and mozzarella
Ingredients
For making the crespelles:
- 250 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 85 gr flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
For the assembled dish:
- prosciutto
- 8 tbsp parmesan freshly grated
- 1,5 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 170 gr canned tomatoes you could use fresh if you like
- olive oil
- 8 tbsp mozzarella finely chopped
Instructions
- Put the milk in a bowl and while mixing gradually add the flour until it’s smooth. Add the eggs one by one and bring to taste with salt.
- Bake the crespelle in a non stick skillet. You should be able to get 16 out of it according to the recipe but I got only about 10 and they weren't big or thick, so not sure how that compares…
- Take a small saucepan and saute the garlic, parsley and tomatoes. Reduce the liquid of the tomato and cook for about 15 minutes.
- In a baking tin of about 22 cm/8.6 inch wide (buttered slightly) put the largest crepe you made on the bottom and lightly spread with tomato sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan, shredded prosciutto and mozzarella and repeat this 8 times. Make sure you have enough tomato sauce left for the top crepe. Sprinkle with Parmesan on top and place in a preheated oven (200˚C/400˚F) for 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
O by the way; this was the Cooking Italy recipe for the week of september 7. I had not joined the cooking italy group at that point, but was intrigued by this recipe so wanted to make it regardless of missing the deadline… Just so you know I am posting outside of the time lines! 🙂
A lovely recipe with an interesting Italian touch. What I really find amazing is such a heap of crepes one on top of the other. Really amasing.
Cheers!
A lovely recipe with an interesting Italian touch. What I really find amazing is such a heap of crepes one on top of the other. Really amasing.
Cheers!
Looks wonderful and I love the idea if prosciutto here. To take care of the curling on the Crespelle, let the batter relax for 15-20 min, even as long as a half hour. You will see a milky fine foam on top. Mix the batter very gently to re-incorporate.
Relaxing the gluten should take care of things. Standard procedure when I make a basic crepe batter.
Looks wonderful and I love the idea if prosciutto here. To take care of the curling on the Crespelle, let the batter relax for 15-20 min, even as long as a half hour. You will see a milky fine foam on top. Mix the batter very gently to re-incorporate.
Relaxing the gluten should take care of things. Standard procedure when I make a basic crepe batter.
A co-worker from Umbria I believe told me her family would make lasagna with crepes rather than pasta, as you’ve done here. Alas, you’ve made me hungry!
A co-worker from Umbria I believe told me her family would make lasagna with crepes rather than pasta, as you’ve done here. Alas, you’ve made me hungry!
Wow, I love the Crespelles! Sounds so delicious – beautiful photos as well. I found you from your comment on Souvlaki for the Soul! Hope you will join us next month in the Joust! It is a lot of fun, and very laid back. Plus you can make it as simple or complicated as you want. We have prizes in 3 different categories. Hope to see you soon.
Wow, I love the Crespelles! Sounds so delicious – beautiful photos as well. I found you from your comment on Souvlaki for the Soul! Hope you will join us next month in the Joust! It is a lot of fun, and very laid back. Plus you can make it as simple or complicated as you want. We have prizes in 3 different categories. Hope to see you soon.
I love cheese but I think on this one it just too much. The pictures really great! so yummy.
I love cheese but I think on this one it just too much. The pictures really great! so yummy.
What a wonderful dish! Really scrumptious looking and so comforting!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a wonderful dish! Really scrumptious looking and so comforting!
Cheers,
Rosa
My husband doesn’t really like dessert! So you can just imagine when I make a whole cake…thank goodness for friends and family 🙂 If I was your neighbor I would offer some help in finishing cheesy dishes! 🙂
My husband doesn’t really like dessert! So you can just imagine when I make a whole cake…thank goodness for friends and family 🙂 If I was your neighbor I would offer some help in finishing cheesy dishes! 🙂