Gateau Of Crepes Pt 1

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

3
The following two recipes - representing France and Italy - come from
Julia Child's "Menu Cookbook." Add this to your library list, as well!
(Molded mountain of crepes layered with vegetables and cheese)  "Here
is a handsome dish indeed, layers of fresh vegetables bound  with a
cheese custard, baked in a mold lined with crepes - those  multipurpose
thin French pancakes. Serve it hot as a first course, a  luncheon dish,
or as the main course for a vegetarian meal, and any  leftovers are
good cold."  (plm: Merry Mary: You will want to use this thinly sliced
as a light  first course, or even as an appetizer)  Equipment: A heavy
cast-iron or cast-aluminum (nonstick recommended)  frying pan with
5-1/2" bottom diameter, for the crepes; an 8-cup  baking dish, such as
a metal charlotte mold, 4" deep; an instant meat  thermometer is
recommended  The Crepes - Batter: * (for 18 to 20 crepes 5-1/2" or 14
cm in  diameter): Scoop dry-measure cup into flour container until cup
is  overflowing; sweep off excess with the straight edge of a knife,
and  pour flour into a pitcher or bowl. Blend the milk and water into
the  flour, beating with a whip until smooth (easy with Wondra or
instant-blending flour), then beat in the eggs, salt and butter or
oil. Let rest for 10 minutes (1-2 hours, if using all-purpose flour)
so the flour granules can absorb the liquid-making a tender crepe.  The
Crepes - Cooking: To cook the crepes, heat frying pan or pans  until
drops of water sizzle on the surface. Brush lightly with a  little
butter (usually only necessary for the first crepe), and pour  2 to 3
tablespoons or so of the batter into the center of the pan,  turning
the pan in all directions as you do so to spread the batter  over the
bottom surface. (If you have poured in too much, pour excess  back into
your batter bowl.) Cook for 30 seconds or so, until you  see, when you
lift an edge, that it is nicely browned. Turn and cook  for 10 to 15
seconds more-this second side never cooks evenly and is  kept as the
non-public or bottom side of the crepe. Arrange crepes,  as they are
made, on a cake rack so they will cool and dry off for 5  minutes or
so. When dry (but not brittle!), stack together, wrap in  foil, and
place in a plastic bag.  Crepes will keep for 2 to 3 days in the
refrigerator. To freeze, it  is best to package them in stacks of 6 or
8; either thaw at room  temperature, or unpackage and heat in a covered
dish in a moderate  oven for 5 minutes or until they separate easily.
Note: I used to stack my cooked crepes between sheets of wax paper or
foil, but now that I have learned the cool-and-dry system, I have not
found it necessary, even for freezing.  Preparing the Vegetables: Trim
and peel the carrots, and cut into  julienne matchsticks.. Saute in
1-1/2 Tablespoons butter in a large  frying pan, swirling and tossing
frequently until carrots are nicely  tender and being careful not to
brown them. Season well with salt,  pepper, and optional dill; set
aside in a bowl.  Trim and wash the mushrooms, and cut into fine mince
(a food  processor is helpful here); a handful at a time, twist the
mushrooms  in the corner of a clean towel to extract as much of their
juice as  possible. Saute in the same large frying pan in 1-1/2
Tablespoons  butter with the shallots  continued in part 2

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