ArcaMax

Julia Child was an August baby. She would have turned 104 years old this year. I miss Julia. That woman was a class act, a huge talent, and an early mentor for me.

Most kids came home from school in the 60s and watched cartoons. I used to come home from school, grab my after-school snack, pull up a chair at the kitchen table, and watch Julia Child cook. That was my favorite TV show. I did that for years, until they pulled the show and replaced it with Graham Kerr. Then I watched him. I learned a lot from both of them. It’s not like I was making dinner at that age. I was just the in-house chocolate chip cookie baker, but the example they gave me has served me well to this day.

I met Julia Child in 1984. She came to Madison, Wisconsin, to give a speech as part of the Farmers’ Market program. I attended with my friend Kathi.

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Related Recipes at PlanZDiet.com:

Shrimp Curry
Salmon with a Louisiana Cream Sauce

Seafood Crepes

This is a ZReboot recipe. These crepes are very low carb and EASY to make. You can even make them ahead and store them in the refrigerator or freeze them. I made them at the same time I was working on my seafood and sauce for the stuffed crepes but if you’re not that coordinated in the kitchen, you can make the crepes first and just store them. You do have to keep a close eye on the crepes as they cook. Don’t get distracted. It’s much less stressful to make the crepes and then make the sauce. Both come together really fast so you’ll be out of the kitchen in a jiffy anyway.

These make great family or dinner party food. You can make more than one batch for a party.

Serves: Makes 4 entree-sized crepes

Ingredients:

For the Crepes:

6 eggs
½ cup of heavy cream
3 Tbl oil (I use peanut oil or olive oil)

For the Seafood Filling:

3 Tbl of butter
4 ounces of sliced mushrooms. You can use any ones you like from exotic to plain button mushrooms
½ cup of minced shallots
A whisper of cayenne
3 – 4 cups of diced COOKED seafood. You can use scallops, shrimp, crab and/or lobster
1/3 cup of whipping cream
1 tsp of curry powder (optional)
1-1/2 cups of shredded gruyere cheese (or your choice)
¼ cup of chopped green onion

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the Crepes:

Whisk ingredients together really well. You can even quickly whiz it with a mixer if you want, or mix it in a blender. Lightly spray butter spray in a medium sauté (8- to 10-inch) pan over medium heat. Pour small amount of batter in heated pan and swirl around to spread out thinly. You don’t want to see through it; about an eighth of an inch thick will do it.

Let cook about two minutes or until lightly brown at the edges. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook just a few seconds on other side. Remove from pan by flipping it over onto a workspace or large plate. Continue with the rest of the batter, spraying the pan each time.

Stack them on a plate as you get them done. They won’t stick together.

These are not sweet crepes. These are savory ones to be filled as a lunch or dinner entrée.

Note: Most often I end up tossing out the first crepe. This one usually doesn’t turn out quite right so there should be enough filling to get four for the entrée. If you have a crepe that tears don’t worry. Just be careful with it and cover the crack with the cheese and no one will be the wiser.

For the Seafood Filling:

Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the mushrooms and shallots. Cook on medium until the mushrooms give up their moisture. Add a whisper of cayenne across the top just to give a bit of zing. Then add the seafood, whipping cream, one cup of the gruyere, and optional curry powder. (The curry powder gives the crepes a more exotic flavor. They will be just as yummy without the curry powder. I just thought it made them even more delightful.) Cook on medium high to get the cream bubbling lightly and stir until the cheese melts.

Assembly:

Lightly spray a 9-by-13-inch ovenproof pan. Take a crepe and place it on your work surface. Place one quarter of the filling slightly over to one side of the crepe. Gently roll up. Place seam-side down in your pan. Just move carefully as you go. Use both hands to make sure the filling doesn’t rush out.

When you have them all in the pan, sprinkle on the rest of your cheese and top with green onion bits.

Bake in your 350 degree oven for 20 minutes; just to make sure they are heated through and bubbly.

Notes: The filled crepes can be assembled earlier in the day and stored in the refrigerator. If that’s the case you might have to bake them a bit longer to make sure they get heated through. It does make for an easy dinner party though.

When you take the crepes out of the pan be sure to use a long spatula and move carefully. But if a crepe breaks don’t fret. This does not have to be that fancy a presentation. You can even serve them in bowls if they fall apart. They will taste just as good!

This dish is also amazing using diced, cooked chicken breast.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola