CHICKEN CORDON-BLEU-ISH CREPES IN SWISS BECHAMEL

To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook until bubbly, about 1 minute.  Add the cream, sherry, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes.

Gradually add the parmesan, followed by the shredded Jarlsberg, whisking until the sauce is rich, smooth, and the cheese is all melted.  Remove from heat and set aside and keep warm.

To make the filling, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a large deep skillet.  Add the shallots to the pan and cook until soft, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves to the pan and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 6-7 minutes until the mushrooms begin to lightly brown.  Add the sherry to the pan and cook 2 minutes more, stirring and scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

Add the chicken, salt, and pepper to the pan tossing everything.  Add 2 cups of the bechamel sauce to the pan and continue to toss until everything is evenly coated.  Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat a 9” x 13” baking dish with non-stick spray.

Lay each crepe on the counter and lay a generous portion of the filling, about ¾-1 cup, on 1 half of the crepe.  Top it with a piece of folded prosciutto (to cover the filling) and 1-2 tablespoons of the grated Jarlsberg.  Fold the side of the crepe with no filling over the filling and then fold that in half to form a ‘triangle’.  Lay the filled crepes in the prepared baking dish slightly overlapping.  Sprinkle the parmesan over the top and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Bring the remaining bechamel sauce back up to heat just before serving.

Serve crepes topped with more sauce and sprinkle with any remaining shredded cheese.  Garnish with chopped parsley and thyme sprigs.  Devour!!  Sooooo goooood!!!

FRENCH CREPES

1 ½ tablespoons butter

1 egg

1/3 cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup milk

Place the butter in an 8-10” non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Let the butter melt (but not brown) while you make the batter.

Combine the egg, flour, salt, sugar, and about 1/3 of the milk in a medium size bowl.  Whisk vigorously until the batter is smooth.  Add the remaining milk and whisk again until you have a smooth thin batter.

The butter should be melted in the skillet by this time.  Pour the butter into the batter whisking until a cohesive smoother batter is formed.  Leave any residual butter in the pan.

Using a ¼ cup measure, tilt the pan off the heat slightly and pour the batter into the bottom side of the pan.  Quickly swirl the pan so that the batter completely coats the bottom of the pan in a thin layer.  If you have holes, just pour a little batter in to fill them.

Cook for 1-2 minutes until the edges start to lightly brown and the crepe pulls away from the side of the pan.  Lift the edge with a spatula and flip the crepe to the other side (I like to use my hands, but you can also use the spatula to flip).  The crepe should have a light brown lacey look on the cooked side.  Cook the other side for an additional 1-2 minutes and remove to a plate.

Repeat with the remaining batter.  This recipe will make about 4, 8-10” crepes.