Vegetarian Crespelle With Wild Mushroom & Sage Bechamel

Masseria Kitchen + Bar opened in Blue Ridge, Georgia, over the holidays as a Mediterranean concept serving fresh vegetables, seafood, handmade pastas and pizza. It’s the third concept restaurant from Chef Danny Mellman and Michelle Moran, located facing the train tracks of the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, one of the main attractions in the North Georgia vacation town. Moran describes this Crespelle as a “French lasagna made with a crepe.”

2 crepes (recipe below)
3 oz. Bechamel sauce (recipe below)
1/4 cup sautéed wild mushrooms
2 Tbsp. buffalo mozzarella and aged provolone cheese, shredded
1 rectangular cast iron skillet
2 slices toasted focaccia
Olive oil to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place two crepes on a flat surface and fill each crepe with 3 Tbsp. of filling. Drizzle the bottom of a microwave- and oven-safe dish with olive oil, spread 2 Tbsp. of Bechamel sauce in the bottom of the dish. Place crepes in the dish. Add 2 Tbsp. Bechamel sauce on top of the crepes. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. shredded buffalo mozzarella and aged provolone cheese. Top with 2 Tbsp. wild mushroom mixture. Salt & pepper to taste.

Microwave final dish to warm for one minute (you don’t have to do this step but it’s recommended so you can use less bechamel and the crepes won’t burn in the oven for final heating.) Then place the dish in a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.

Serve with foccacia and drizzle with wild mushroom and sage oil or good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Serves 2.

Bechamel sauce: 

2 gallons whole milk
1 yellow onion *pique
22 oz. butter
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. Kosher salt

*French technique in which bay leaves are attached to an onion by pushing whole cloves through

In a large stockpot, add milk, onion pique, nutmeg and salt. Bring to a simmer. In a separate stock pot, melt butter and slowly whisk in the flour. Cook the roux until golden brown. Add the warm milk to the roux, two quarts at a time. Allow the sauce to thicken and discard the onion pique. Allow the sauce to cool. Yields two gallons.

Note: For home use, this is a lot of Bechamel sauce. You may want to cut this recipe in thirds or freeze the remaining sauce for later use. 

Crepes: 

4 whole eggs
2 cups whole milk
1.5 cups flour
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Using an immersion blender, blend the crepe batter until smooth. Ladle 2 oz. of the crepe batter into a hot, oiled, nonstick saute pan. Cook the crepes until golden brown on both sides. Makes 16 crepes.

Crepe filling: 

1 cup smoked ricotta
1 cup roasted squash and zucchini
1/2 cup roasted onion
1/4 cup poached garlic
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until incorporated. Portion approximately 1/2 cup of filling onto a crepe and roll the crepes. Portion the finished crepes in packs of two, wrapped in deli paper. Store cold.