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Either whirl all ingredients in a blender; or place flour in bowl, beat in rest of ingredients, and strain through sieve. Batter should be like heavy cream; if too thick, thin out with drops of milk. You may use it immediately if you have instant-blending flour; otherwise let it rest for an hour at least.
*1/3 cup flour, preferably
"instant blending" (measure by scooping dry-measure cup into flour and
leveling off with knife)
*1 "large" egg
1/4 tsp salt
*1 1/2 tsp cooking oil
*1/3 cup milk, plus a little more if needed
*an electric blender, or a bowl, whip, and sieve
Crepes a la Piperade
[Pepper, onion, tomato and cheese pancakes]
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 2 by Julia Child and
Simone Beck
Page 408
Made by
Crissy
Cooked bell peppers,
onions, tomatoes, cheese, and herbs plus a light batter to bind them all
together are the basic ingredients for this attractive vegetable
combination, which is cooked like pancakes. Serve them with roasts,
chops, or broiled chicken, and any leftovers are delicious with cold hors
d'oeuvre or on a picnic. They are, in addition, a splendid background
for diced poultry, veal, or pork leftovers, which you may include in the
mixture; topped with a poached or fried egg and a tomato or cheese sauce,
they are an ample main course for informal meals.
For 12 4-inch pancakes
1. The Crepe Batter - for 3/4 cup
2. The piperade mixture - for 1 1/2 cups
Cook the onions in the oil for 8-10 minutes, or until tender and translucent. Add the peppers and cook another 3-4 minutes to soften slightly. Then add the sliced tomato pulp and garlic; cover pan for several minutes until tomatoes have rendered their juice. Uncover, raise heat, and boil for several minutes, tossing pan by handle to blend ingredients, until liquid as almost completely evaporated. Season carefully to taste, and toss with the herbs.
*1 1/2 cups sliced onions
*3 Tb olive oil or cooking oil
*An 8-inch frying pan with cover
*1 1/2 cups sliced green bell peppers
*3-4 ripe, red tomatoes peeled, seeded, juiced, and sliced (1 1/2 cups)
*2-3 large cloves of garlic, mashed
*salt and pepper to taste
*2 Tb fresh minced parsley, plus 1 Tb fresh minced basil or 1/2 tsp of
dried oregano
3. Cooking the crepes
Blend the cheese into the piperade along with 1/2 cup of the batter. Brush frying pan with oil and set over moderately high heat. When hot but not quite smoking, ladle in 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture as a test. Cook about 2 minutes on one side, until little holes appear through the surface, at which time bottom should be nicely browned. Turn and cook about 1 minute on other side, then remove to a baking sheet. Crepe should just hold together, with only enough batter in the mixture to enrobe the ingredients. Add a little more batter to bowl if you feel it necessary, but too much makes for doughy crepes. Cook the rest of the crepes and arrange on a baking sheets.
Just before serving, reheat for 5 minutes or so in a preheated 425-degree oven.
*5 oz Swiss cheese, cut
into 3/8-inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
*The piperade turned into a 2-quart bowl
*a rubber spatula
*1/2 cup or more of the crepe batter
*cooking oil
*a heavy 10-inch frying pan (no-stick recommended)
*a 1/4 cup measure
*1 or 2 oiled baking sheets
*a pancake turner