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Last Modified: 09/05/11
First Published: 09/05/11
Views: 1322 | | |
| Views: 1322 |
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| | This savory ham, swiss and creamed spinach crêpe tart turned out to be oh so delicious. Crepe cakes (or tarts) are probably more popular in a sweeter version; crepe cake with cream and strawberries come to mind for example. However, we have never before seen a savory crepe tart, but we thought it was a rather intriguing idea and decided to give it a try.
We decided to go on the classic combination ham, swiss and creamed spinach. Why? Because it's always good and it seemed as if it would go well with crepes. And guess what - it did! Try this dish next time you're serving a brunch, or use it for a light lunch with a nice salad on the side. Of course once you have started to think in these terms, so many possibilities are presenting themselves. Why not try an Italian version for example with pesto, thin slices of tomato and mozzarella cheese? Or how about a pear, walnut and blue cheese, perhaps even with a layer of smooth mascarpone? There are so many different possibilities here, but overall this is a nice technique - it's simple to prepare ahead and it looks and tastes rather impressive.
Ingredients:
- Make a batch of crepes for 4 people (double this crepe recipe for example)- about 10 crepes or so in all
- 1/2 pound of thinly sliced ham
- Spicy or Dijon Mustard
- Swiss Cheese
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk
- about 3 oz frozen, chopped spinach
- 1 lemon
- salt & pepper
- fresh parsley
Method:
Have the crepes ready at hand. Make the béchamel sauce for the creamed spinach by melting butter, adding flour and cooking for a minute. Then whisk in milk and let come to a simmer. Let simmer for a few minutes, taste with salt and pepper and add the frozen spinach. Add a squirt or two of fresh lemon and some freshly chopped parsley.
Now assemble the cake:
Start with putting down a crepe on a sheet pan. Next, spread about a tablespoon of mustard and then put two thin layers of ham. Next put another crepe and cover the crepe with thin slices of swiss chess (you could also use grated cheese). Next put another crepe and put about two or three tablespoons of the creamed spinach, not too much, just to cover it. Then repeat until you run out of crepes. Make sure the very last and final crepe has a topping of creamed spinach and then swiss cheese on top of that.
Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and browned on top. Cut with a knife into pie wedges and enjoy with a green salad on the side.
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