Shrimp Crepes with Mornay Sauce

OK, I don't want to oversell these.  Maybe it was just my day.  Maybe it was exactly what my taste buds were craving.  But I think this may be the best dish I have made in a long, long time.

It's been about 15 years since I've made crepes.  Years ago when we lived in San Antonio, I used to take cooking classes at Central Market (a foodie's heaven).  One of the classes I took was on crepes.  They are the easiest thing in the world to make.  And I don't know what jogged by memory, but I pulled my file out and decided it was time to make them again.

The recipes we made in the class, however, were more on the brunch/dessert side.  On an ongoing mission to purge my freezer and pantry, I had shrimp, spinach, and mushrooms on hand and so I went on a search using these ingredients.  I have several recipes and kind of combined them, with a few more changes of my own.

The crepes were fun to make (your first crepe will always be sacrificed to the crepe gods).  I don't know how these made it out of my dinner rotation, but I look forward to making more.  But this recipe will defninitely be #1 on my list.

SHRIMP CREPES with MORNAY SAUCE (2 servings)

For the crepes:
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 egg (pull out about 1/3 of the yolk for the Mornay Sauce)
2/3 Tbsp melted butter
2/3 Tbsp vegetable oil or cooking spray
1/3 cup AP flour
1/8 tsp salt

For the Mornay Sauce:
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup half-and-half or milk
1/3 egg yolk, mixed with the half-and-half
scant 1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
S&P to taste


For the shrimp mixture:
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
8 oz shrimp (if you very small {not salad shrimp} shrimp leave whole, any larger chop a bit)
1/2 small package frozen shrimp, thawed and wringed dry
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
S&P to taste

For the crepes:
Combine all ingredients (except vegetable oil) in a bowl and blend with a whisk until smooth.  Cover batter and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.

Heat skillet or griddle.  Place a bit of oil or cooking spray in pan until hot.  Pour enough batter to make the size of a pancake, 2-3 Tbsp (tilt pan and swirl to get as close to a circle as you can.)  Cook until brown on the bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Turn and cook other side.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Place crepes between pieces of waxed paper to keep them from sticking together.  Set aside.  The crepes will keep at room temp for several hours, if necessary.

For the Mornay Sauce:
In a small saucepan, melt butter and then blend in flour with a whisk.  Stir in milk.  Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.  Add cheese and blend well.  Season with S&P and remove from heat.

For the shrimp mixture:
In a skillet, melt butter.  Saute onion, mushrooms, and spinach until vegetables are tender.  Add shrimp and garlic.  Saute until shrimp are cooked.

For the stuffed crepe:
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Heat oven to 350F.

Stir Mornay Sauce into shrimp mixture.  Spoon about 2 Tbsp or more of mixture into middle of crepe and roll up (leave a little bit to spread over the top of the crepes).

Place seam side down on prepared baking dish.  Repeat with remaining crepes.  Top with remaining sauce.

Bake for 15 minutes until sauce is warm and bubbly.