Saturday Recipe

This is a recipe I made quite a few times when we lived in North Carolina. I also made them for at least one customer when we were trying to set up a catering service. Since that time I haven't made them once. Of course they are very rich and I have no idea what the calorie count would be which has certainly become important to me in recent times. Gundel's is a restaurant in Budapest, Hungary. I don't remember where I got this recipe from but I can promise you it is absolutely delicious. The crepes I always made in advance, they keep for a good while and even longer if you freeze them. Of course you need to layer them with waxed paper.

Gundel's Crepes

For the crepes:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup cold sparkling water; more as needed
1/2 tsp salt
6 3/4 oz (1-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
Melted butter for frying the crepes

For the filling:
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1- 1/4 cups walnut halves, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs chopped candied orange peel or 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbs cocoa powder
pinch salt

For the sauce:
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1 cup milk
3 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. To make the crepes: Whisk the eggs with the cold milk, sparkling water, and salt. Whisking  steadily, sift the flour over the egg mixture in a gradual but steady "rain" to make a smooth batter. Let sit for 20 min. and then add more sparkling water if necessary to get the consistency of heavy cream.

2. Heat a 6- to 8-inch crepe or omelet pan (nonstick is fine but not necessary). Brush the pan with melted butter. Tilting and turning the pan with one hand, pour in just enough batter to cover the pan's surface, about Tbs. Let the crepe cook until golden on the underside, 1 to 2 min. (don't undercook them) and then flip or turn the crepe with a small spatula or your fingers to cook the other side until just set, about 30 seconds more. The side cooked first will be prettier and should be the outer side when filling the crepes.

3. Adjust the heat so you get a definite sizzle when adding the batter, and thin the batter if the crepes are too thick and flabby. Stack the finished crepes on a plate as you go. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until using, up to three days ahead. You can also wrap the crepes tightly and freeze them (put a piece of waxed paper between each one for easier separation).

4. To make the filling: Heat the rum and soak the raisins in it while assembling the other ingredients. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and sugar to a boil, stirring, and add the walnuts, candied orange peel (or zest), cinnamon, cocoa powder, and salt. Bring back to a boil, stirring, and cook until the liquid has reduced almost completely but the nuts are still well coated and glossy, about 3 min. Stir in the raisins and rum and cool. You can make this filling a day or two ahead and refrigerate it until time to use.

5. For the chocolate sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, sugar, flour, and salt. Whisking steadily, slowly pour in the milk to make a smooth paste. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook about 30 seconds to cook off the raw floury taste, and then remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth, cover loosely with plastic, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to help it cool and prevent a skin from forming. Just before serving the crepes, whip the cream until it just forms soft peaks. Stir about one-quarter of the whipped cream into the chocolate to lighten it, and then carefully fold the rest of the whipped cream into the sauce until well blended.

6. To finish: Spread about 2 Tbs. of the filling on the underside of a crepe (reheat the filling slightly if it's cold from the refrigerator). Fold the crepe in half, and then in half again to make a quarter circle. Repeat with the remaining crepes, dividing the filling evenly. You can do this early on the day of serving and just keep the filled crepes covered at room temperature.

7. In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbs. of butter over medium heat until sizzling. Add the filled crepes to the pan without crowding them (do this in batches if you need to). Cook the crepes until warmed through and browned on each side, about 1 min. per side. Add more butter if necessary to the pan during cooking.

8. Arrange 3 crepes on each plate and drizzle a generous ribbon of chocolate sauce on top, passing more sauce at the table. Serve immediately.

9. Yield: about 20 crepes, with filling for 18, and 2 cups sauce

Servings: 6

Have a great weekend