Passover Crêpes With Cream Cheese And Smoked Salmon Food

CREPES WITH SMOKED SALMON, RICOTTA, RED ONION AND CAPERS WITH LEMON CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• For the crepes: Combine the milk, flour, sugar, salt, eggs and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a blender and blend until smooth, about 20 seconds. Let the batter rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before using or transfer to a container with a lid and let rest in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
• For the lemon creme fraiche: Whisk together the creme fraiche, lemon zest and juice and some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
• For the herbed ricotta and topping: Put the ricotta, chives, dill, parsley, lemon zest and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl and work together with a fork.
• Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly brush with some of the remaining melted butter. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the crepe batter and swirl the skillet so the batter completely covers the bottom. Cook until the underside of the crepe is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Loosen the edge of the crepe with a rubber spatula, then with your fingertips, quickly flip. Cook 1 minute more. Slide the crepe out of the skillet and repeat with the remaining batter, coating the skillet with butter as needed. Stack the finished crepes directly on top of each other.
• Lay 8 crepes on a flat surface. Smear about 1/4 cup herbed ricotta in a wide strip down the center of each. Top with 2 or 3 slices of salmon, then gather the sides of each crepe around the filling, leaving most of the filling exposed. Scatter some onion slices and capers over the filling, then drizzle some lemon creme fraiche on top. Scatter some dill fronds on top and serve.

SMOKED SALMON CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• For the crepes: Whisk the eggs and flour in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk in the milk, 2 tablespoons warm water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper until smooth. Refrigerate the batter, covered, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, and brush with melted butter. Whisk the 2 tablespoons of melted butter into the crepe batter (batter will appear a bit grainy, but that's OK). Ladle a scant 1/4 cup batter into the skillet, and swirl the batter around to cover the bottom. Cook the crepe over medium heat until the top appears dry and the edge is starting to curl back, about 30 seconds. Flip the crepe with your fingers or a spatula, and cook until brown in spots, about 15 seconds. Transfer the crepe to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter, for a total of 12 crepes (you can stack them on the rack once they've cooled). (The crepes can be refrigerated, wrapped, overnight.)
• For the cream cheese spread: Combine the cream cheese, capers, cornichons, dill, lemon juice and zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl with a spatula. Drizzle in the heavy cream, and mix until smooth; set aside at room temperature.
• To assemble: Line an 8-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap so it overhangs by 4 inches on both sides. Place 1 crepe (this will be the top of the cake, so pick a pretty one) on a work surface, and spread evenly with 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese spread. Transfer the crepe, cheese-side up, to the cake pan. Arrange pieces of gravlax evenly over the cheese spread, sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice, then scatter with 1 tablespoon of the onion, followed by a generous tablespoon of the egg. Repeat 6 times. Spread the 8th crepe with 2 tablespoons of the cheese spread, then place it on top of the other layers, cheese-side down, to create the bottom of the cake. Stretch the plastic wrap over the cake to draw the lacy edges of the crepes up a bit and to cover the cake completely. Use a small cast-iron skillet or a large glass measuring cup to weigh down the cake and press it into an even shape. Refrigerate at least 1 hour up to overnight.
• To garnish: Remove the weight from the cake, and peel back the plastic. Use the long sides of the plastic to ease the cake out of the pan. Flip the cake pan over, and set the crepe cake on top. Place a serving plate over the cake, and invert the cake onto it. Remove the plastic. Whip the cream in a medium bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Use an offset spatula to spread the whipped cream decoratively over the top of the crepe cake. Toss the dill, capers, cornichons and lemon zest in a small bowl until lightly combined, scatter the mixture over the whipped cream and sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper.

CREPES WITH SMOKED SALMON AND LEMON-HERB SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, add all of the crepe batter ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Expect the batter to be thinner than normal pancake batter. Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes.
• When ready to make the crepes, lightly brush a 6 to 8-inch crepe pan or small nonstick skillet with melted butter and put over medium-high heat.
• Ladle a few tablespoons of batter into the center of the hot pan.
• Lift the pan, removing it from the heat, and swirl so the batter coats the bottom of the pan in an even layer that's as thin as possible. If you have a few holes in the crepe, you can add a bit more batter to those bald spots to cover them. If there is excess batter in the pan, simply pour it back into the batter bowl.
• Return the pan to the heat and cook until the edges crisp and the batter loses its shine, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Using a nonstick spatula, flip the crepe and continue cooking on the other side, another 30 to 45 seconds.
• If making crepes in advance, you can either slide the cooked crepes onto a cookie sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven, or stack on a plate, putting waxed paper between each layer to prevent sticking while you continue with the remaining batter.
• When ready to serve, heat 1 crepe in a pan and add some of the filling, warming slightly. (If you imagine your crepe to be divided into quarters, you only want to add filling to the bottom corner in order to fold it properly. The crepe should be folded in half (like you would an omelet) and then again into a neat triangle (like a piece of pie). If you want more filling, crepes can be either rolled or folded in half.)
• Combine the sour cream or creme fraiche, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, chives, and capers, in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To serve, put a piece of smoked salmon in the bottom corner of a warmed crepe, folding in half (like you would an omelet) and then again into a neat triangle (like a piece of pie). Repeat with remaining crepes and filling. Arrange the crepes on a serving platter. Top each with a dollop of lemon-herb cream and a caper berry before serving.

SPINACH CREPES WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• Squeeze the spinach to drain out all excess moisture. Set aside. Place the eggs and milk in a bowl or food processor and beat until well blended. Blend in the flour until smooth. Add the spinach, scallions, half the dill, the cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and blend until very smooth. Stir in the water and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
• Heat a seven- to eight-inch crepe pan over medium-high heat. Brush with oil. Pour about one-third cup of the batter into the pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Fry about two minutes, until lightly browned, turn the crepe over and cook about 30 seconds longer. Remove the crepe from the pan and repeat with the remaining batter, making 10 to 12 crepes.
• Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the lemon peel, juice, shallots, remaining dill, capers and paprika. Spread each crepe with some of this mixture, then cover with a layer of smoked salmon. Roll each crepe jellyroll fashion and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least two hours.
• Trim the uneven ends off the rolls and slice each into rounds 1/2-inch thick. Chill until ready to serve.

SMOKED SALMON APPETIZER CREPES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk the first five ingredients. Combine flour and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour., Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 3 tablespoons batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. , Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between., For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, cream and chives until fluffy. Stir in salmon., To serve, spread each crepe with about 2 tablespoons filling. Fold the crepes into quarters; cut each folded crepe into two wedges.