Crêpe Mania

I have a tendency to fall victim to intense food cravings that often continue long enough to be considered a mania.

My current mania has been crêpes. Really, it's not about the crêpe, but what you put in it - sweet crêpes with jam, lemon, sugar, nutella, fruit, etc. are lovely. Savory crêpes are fantastic with veggies, meat and especially cheese. Can't forget the cheese! Two weekends ago I had crêpes for dessert, breakfast, brunch and dinner. I've exercised restraint this weekend, I only had crêpes for dinner tonight.

Savory crêpes with asparagus, chevre and black forest ham.

The recipe I use is from Joy of Cooking (1975 edition) and is very easy.

French Pancakes or Crêpes
Sift:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Resift with:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (omit for savory crêpes)

Beat:
2 eggs

Add and beat:
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Make a well in the sifted ingredients. Pour in the liquid ingredients. Combine them with a few swift strokes. Ignore the lumps; they will take care of themselves. You may rest the batter refrigerated 3 to 6 hours. Heat a 5-inch skillet. Grease it with a few drops of oil. Add a small quantity of batter. Tip the skillet and let the batter spread over the bottom. Cook the pancake over moderate heat. When it is brown underneath, reverse it and brown the other side. Use a few drops of oil for each pancake.

Potstickers

For my first post I'm going to add a snack/appie.

I discovered this recipe while watching a cooking show - it turned out to as easy to make and as tasty as it looked on the show. I only had two problems with it: I ate way too many wontons the first time I made them and felt a little ill after; and I left the spare wonton wrappers in the fridge a little too long and they became very, very stinky.

Extras freeze well and make for a quick snack.

Potstickers
(from Everyday Food)
Serves 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup finely chopped Napa or Savoy cabbage
Coarse salt
6 ounces ground pork, not all lean (I used ground chicken)
scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Wontons
24 rectangular (3 1/2-by-3-inch) or square wonton wrappers
1 recipe Wonton Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 scallions, finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, for serving

In a medium bowl, toss cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Wrap cabbage in a double layer of paper towels; firmly squeeze out excess liquid. Return cabbage to bowl; add pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well with a fork. Refrigerate leftover filling up to 2 days.

Wontons
Work with one wrapper at a time, and keep the rest covered with a damp towel. Spoon one rounded teaspoon of filling in center. With dampened fingers, wet the four edges. To make a triangle, fold wrapper in half over filling, making sure the ends meet and filling is centered; press edges down firmly to seal.

Moisten one tip on long side of triangle. Then bring together both tips on long side, overlapping them slightly; press tips together to seal.

Fold remaining top corner back. Transfer to an oiled plate; cover with a damp towel to keep moist. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the wontons and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Carefully add 1/2 cup water (oil may sputter), cover, and steam until translucent and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and wontons. Sprinkle pot stickers with scallions, if using, and serve with soy sauce.