 |
Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes |
Ready In: 10 Minutes Servings: 40 |
|
This Trader Vic's creation is in effect an upscale version of the béchamel-bound ham croquettes popular in Spain and Latin America. Ingredients:
for the crÊpes |
4 eggs |
1 and 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp. flour |
1 and a third cups milk |
pinch freshly grated nutmeg |
salt |
half tbsp. butter |
for the filling |
6 tbsp. butter |
6 tbsp. flour |
1 and half cups milk |
salt and freshly ground white pepper |
1 lb. swiss cheese, finely grated |
5 oz. cooked ham, finely chopped |
(about 1 and a quarter cups) |
5 eggs |
leaves of quarter bunch parsley, chopped |
pinch freshly grated nutmeg |
pinch cayenne |
1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce |
1/4 tsp. tabasco |
vegetable oil |
2 cups panko (japanese bread crumbs) |
Directions:
1. 1. For the crêpes: Whisk eggs and flour together in a medium bowl. Add milk and whisk until smooth. Add nutmeg and season to taste with salt. Strain batter through a sieve into a bowl and set aside. Heat a 12 nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Swirl butter in skillet, then pour in 1&1/2 cup of the batter. Working quickly, swirl batter to coat skillet evenly. Cook until edges are golden brown, 1 and a half; 2–2 minutes. Turn with a spatula and cook second side until golden, 1–2 minutes more. Transfer crêpe to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.
2. 2. For the filling: Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until pale golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and gradually add milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Return pot to medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thick, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add cheese, ham, 2 of the eggs, parsley, nutmeg, cayenne, worcestershire, and Tabasco and mix well. Adjust seasonings and set aside.
3. 3. Cut 4 of the crêpes in half (save any remaining crêpes for another use). Lay 1 crêpe half on a work surface with straight edge closest to you. Spread one-quarter of the filling along straight edge, shaping the mixture into a log. Roll crêpe snugly around filling jelly roll style (crêpe will not cover filling entirely). Put crêpe seam side down on a wax paper–lined sheet pan. Repeat process with remaining 3 crêpes and filling. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
4. 4. Pour oil into a large heavy pot to a depth of 2 and heat over medium-high heat until temperature registers 350° on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, beat remaining eggs in a wide bowl. Put bread crumbs into another wide bowl. Trim ends of each crêpe, then cut crêpes on the bias into 1 -thick slices. Coat each slice in egg, then dredge in bread crumbs. Working in small batches, deep-fry cheese bings, turning once, until golden all over, 2–3 minutes. Transfer to a rack to let drain, and season to taste with salt, if you like, while still hot. Serve hot.
5. This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #80
|
|