The Catskills Crepe

Crepes in the Catskills and mugs of Malbec

A few weeks back the beau and I took a trip downstate to the Catskills. My mother grew up down there and I always loved visiting the forest and mountains that surrounded her family home. I was very excited to revisit the area and experience new spots with MT.

One of the new spots was the wonderfully cozy Spruceton Inn just outside of West Kill. The proprietors of Spruceton refurbished this old mountain motel last year with great detail and love. Think clean, modern aesthetics with the breathtaking beauty of the Catskills literally right at your doorstep. The inn promotes nature and a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of modern life, ie no TV. MT and I were prepared and brought a crossword puzzle, though there are games, books and the company of the Spruceton gang in the bar/lounge area.

Look at those hills...

Anyhow, I digress. The retreat provided great inspiration for cooking (the rooms each have a kitchenette) and the second night I whipped up a great new crepe recipe. The crepes turned out to be halfway between the European-style crepes and thick American pancakes as I was eyeballing my measurements. The key is butter for sure, so if you're calorie-conscious, perhaps stop reading now! Try these out for yourself, either as a crepes, pancakes or somewhere in between!

State of the Crepe 2015

The Catskills Crepe
2 servings/6 crepes total

1 bunch fresh asparagus, washed and ends trimmed
mix of herbs: garlic, basil, oregano, ground pepper
1 roll of prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella
1.5 sticks butter
2 cups flour (about)
1 cup milk
3 eggs
Lemon juice (optional)

Cutest mix of herbs ever

In a medium saucepan, melt half a stick of butter along with the spice mix. Once blended, add the trimmed asparagus and bring to a low simmer. Cover.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, milk & another half of the stick of butter (melted). Whisk the eggs separately. Make sure the flour mixture is cool and stir in the eggs. Set in the fridge to chill for at least 10 minutes.

While you're waiting for the crepe mix to chill, check the asparagus to make sure they are softening. You can also slice the prosciutto roll into slices about 1-2cm thick.

Layer one done

Heat a crepe-sized skillet and grease with the remaining butter. Get the crepe mix out and pour a ladle's worth of the mix into the pan. Swirl around to expand surface area and reach "crepe size". Flip the crepe once one side has cooked, about a minute. Transfer the crepe to a plate and put 1-2 slices of the prosciutto roll on top. Next put a layer of the sauteed asparagus.

Make your next crepe and repeat the layering. Once you've achieved the desired amount of layers, squeeze some lemon juice over the top and dig in!

Going, going, gone...