Gateau de Crepes a la Florentine (French Pancakes Filled with Cream Cheese, Spinach, and Mushrooms)

By Chezlamere

Ingredients

• to 2 needs to chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before baking.

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

All ingredients are thrown into the blender at top speed (Julia's words, not mine) and BAM! Done.
Lightly oil a skillet over moderately high heat, until the pan is just starting to smoke. Remove the skillet from the heat and add about 1/4 cup of batter into the middle of the pan. Quickly tilt the pan in all directions to run the batter all over the bottom of the pan in a thin film. This whole process takes about 2 or 3 seconds.

Return the pan to the heat for about 1 minute, flip crepe and heat for another 30 seconds. I ended up with about 18 crepes.

Sauce Mornay was next (bechamel with cheese), about 3 cups worth.
Start out with 5 Tablespoons of flour and 4 Tablespoons of butter. Cook the flour and butter slowly together in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan for 2 minutes without coloring.

Take off heat and beat in 2 3/4 cups of boiling milk along with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Boil, stirring for 1 minute.

Reduce to simmer and stir in 1/4 cup whipping cream by tablespoons. Sauce should be thick enough to coat the spoon fairly heavily. Remove from heat and correct seasoning. Stir in all but two tablespoons of the cheese. Film top of sauce with milk to prevent a skin from forming.

The spinach filling required starting out by blanching spinach. Then the blanched spinach is set aside while you cook 1 Tablespoon of shallots in 2 Tablespoons of butter for a moment in an enameled saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cups spinach, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir over moderately high heat for 2 to 3 minutes to evaporate moisture. Stir in 1/2 to 2/3 cup of the cheese sauce. Cover and simmer slowly for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Correct seasoning and set aside.
The cottage cheese and mushroom filling starts with mashing 1 cup of cottage cheese in a mixing bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Beat in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of cheese, and 1 egg. (This part was confusing to me)

Saute 1/4 pound minced mushrooms and 1 Tablespoon of shallots in 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1/2 Tablespoon of oil for 5 to 6 minutes in a skillet. Stir them into the cheese mixture, and correct seasoning.
Forming the mound involves buttering the baking dish, and centering a crepe in the bottom. Spread the crepe with a layer of cheese and mushroom filling. Press a crepe on top and spread it with a layer of spinach filling. Continue with alternating layers of crepes and filling, ending with a crepe. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over the top and sides of the mound. Sprinkle with the 3 tablespoons of cheese and dot with 3 or 4 pea-sized bits of butter. Set aside.
Bake the mound of crepes with filling in the upper third of a preheated 350 degree oven to heat through thoroughly and brown the top lightly. To serve, cut in pie-shaped wedges.