Taco Cornmeal Crepe Enchiladas

These were so fun to make.  Years ago, I used to make crepes and haven't made them in the longest time.  When I ran across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try them.  Instead of using corn tortillas, you make crepes using flour and cornmeal.

I halved the recipe and it still made 8 crepes, plenty enough for two meals for us, so the leftovers went in the freezer.  Simply for presentation purposes (my food stylist was off last night, as you can tell by my photo), I think I'll pour a little enchilada sauce over the thawed leftovers before baking.  These were really so much fun to make and assemble, I look forward to getting back into making crepes.

TACO CORNMEAL CREPE ENCHILADAS (Makes about 16 crepes, serving about 8)

Cornmeal Crepes:
1 1/3 cups AP flour
2/3 cups yellow or white cornmeal
4 large eggs
1/4 tsp sal
2 cups milk (any: skim, 1%, 2%, whole)

Taco Meat:
3/4 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced fine (optional)
2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Garnishes:
1 can black olives, drained and sliced
sour cream
salsa

For the crepes, combine all of the crepe ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Spray a 10" nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat until the skillet is very hot.  Give the crepe batter a quick stir with a wooden spoon.  Measure out 1/4 cup batter and pour into the hot skillet, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly.  The skillet should be hot enough that you should hear a sizzle when the batter hits the pan but not so hot that it burns the crepes.  Cook for about a minute and then loosen the edge of the crepe with a rubber spatula and flip, cooking for another 30-60 seconds or so.  Transfer the crepe to distribute the cornmeal and lightly spray the skillet with cooking spray when needed.  Stack the cooked crepes on top of each other.  The crepes can be made up to 2 days in advance.  Cool the crepes completely before storing in the refrigerator, enclosed in a ziplock bag or covered in plastic wrap.

For the taco meat, cook the onion, ground meat, garlic, S&P in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently to break the meat into bite-sized pieces, until the meat is cooking through, 5-7 minutes.  Drain the excess grease.  Stir in the chili powder, cumin, coriander, tomato sauce and jalapeno (is using).  Simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Lightly coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray (I used parchment paper and then sprayed the paper for easier cleanup).  Lay a crepe flat on a clean work surface or plate.  Place about 1/4 to 1/3 cup meat mixture on each crepe, sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of cheese and roll up.  Lay seam side down on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining crepes, meat, and cheese.  Sprinkle the top of the crepes with remaining cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is golden and the crepes are heated through.  Serve the crepes with the olives, sour creme, salsa, and any other garnishes you prefer.