Olla-Podrida: Melissa's Crepes

Friday, March 4, 2016

Fresh Strawberry Syrup

With spring on the way and summer soon to follow, desserts are going to be changing from the heavy winter varieties to the lighter, fruit-laden offerings. But why wait weeks to prepare them? This amazingly quick and easy dessert takes nothing more than a little planning to dazzle your guests in no time. Keeping a package of Melissa’s Premade Crepes in the pantry or freezer (or, be like me, and keep them in both the pantry AND the freezer) gets this on the table in minutes. Trust me when I tell you it's been a real lifesaver when drop-in guests appear on the porch thinking this was the night they were invited to dinner when it’s really a week from tonight, but I digress. Simply unpack the crepes, fold each into quarters, arrange one (or two) on a dessert plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, top with your favorite flavor of ice cream, and drizzle with this jewel-toned strawberry syrup. It is SO good. Or, you can spoon the strawberry syrup into the middle of the crepe, fold it up, top with a scoop of ice cream, and then pour on the fudge sauce. Heaven!

Fresh Strawberry Sauce

1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons juice from a Melissa’s Tango Tangerine

Zest of 1/2 tangerine

1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier (or water)

Put all ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil. Lower heat and simmer until mixture becomes syrupy, about 5-10 minutes.

Use as a topping on ice cream, pancakes, waffles, French toast, or as a filing in crepes.

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This post is linked to:

Silver Pennies Sunday
Merry Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Cooking & Crafting Monday

Make It Pretty Monday

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Chicken and Mushroom Crepe Casserole

As you may be saying to yourself while viewing the above picture, casseroles are not pretty, and you would be right. But there is something so taste-tempting and delicious about casseroles, not to mention nostalgic and comforting. That's a big return from one simple dish. This one, I think, is particularly good. I adapted it from one found in the Oprah magazine, adding a bit more taste and texture with scallions and fresh mushrooms, and making it much more flavorful by substituting the suggested Swiss for Smoked Gouda (oh, yeah!). I also made it a heck of a lot simpler by using a rotisserie chicken (be sure to save the rest for making stock) and a package of premade crepes from Melissa's Produce (once you try these you will never make crepes again). The filling can be made the day before, and everything can be rather quickly assembled just before baking. Enjoy it with some fresh green beans and relax in the comfort of your culinary talents.

Chicken and Mushroom Crepe Casserole

1 pkg. Melissa’s Ready-to-Use Crepes

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1/2 cup roughly chopped crimini mushrooms

2 scallions, white and green parts, diced

1 cup Smoked Gouda cheese, grated, plus extra for topping

1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated, plus extra for topping

1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 clove garlic, cut in half

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350º F and rub halved garlic all over the inside of 9x13-inch baking dish. (See NOTE)

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, mushroom soup and cheeses. Stir and fold in shredded chicken, scallions and mushrooms. and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon 1/3 cup of mixture into each crepe and roll it up like a burrito.

Cut crepes in half (or into thirds if they’re large) and carefully transfer to baking dish. Place them close together so they stand upright.

Sprinkle extra cheese over the top of casserole.

Put baking dish in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE: I used a dish significantly smaller than the one suggested. I divided the mixture equally among the 10 crepes in the package and cut them in half. They were a bit taller than the casserole dish, so I slanted them a bit.