Morel Mushroom & Herb Savory Crepes

A forest-fresh, springtime comfort food perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Happy Morel Season! This spring is shaping up to be a good one for mushroom foraging thanks to mild temperatures and plenty of rain. I myself did “just okay” on morels this season, but finding enough for a solid meal is all I ask for!

The third week of May, I headed out with a friend of mine who was new to foraging. Hearing her shout: “Wait, isn’t this them?!” followed by a full two minutes of us celebrating is a memory I know I’ll hang onto.

So, you know I love playing around with seasonal ingredients, and these funky stars of springtime are one of my favorites to dress up in decadent new ways. This year, I decided to take the route of mixing up morels inside my current love affair: crepes. (If you’re wondering: savory smoked salmon and dill crepes, and sweet strawberry rhubarb crepes have been other favorites this year!)

Spoiler: They turned out great. To be honest, my measurements for the filling were more along the lines of “eye-balling” in this recipe, so feel free to add a little less or more of anything as you please – I promise they’re pretty hard to mess up. 

Ingredients:

·      4 cups cleaned, halved morel mushrooms (fill in with your favorite store-bought fungi if you don’t have enough morels)

·      1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese

·      2 tbsp heavy cream

·      Zest of one lemon

·      2 tbsp olive oil

·      Salt and pepper

For the crepe mix:

·      1 cup all-purpose flour

·      1/4 tsp salt

·      1 1/4 cup whole milk

·      3 large eggs (room temperature)

·      2 tbsp softened butter

·      2-3 tbsp finely chopped thyme and rosemary

Directions:

First, prep the crepe mix. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients until very smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Heat a small nonstick pan over medium heat (do not grease the pan). Once hot, ladle in about 1/3 cup of the crepe batter depending on your pan size and swirl over the stove to coat the entire pan with a thin layer (you want these paper thin. It can take some practice, but you have plenty of crepe mix to spare if the first couple aren’t perfect).  Heat crepe for about 2 minutes until the edges start to peel away from the pan. Using a rubber spatula and your hand (careful…), gently flip the crepe. Heat about 2 minutes on the second side, set aside, and repeat for as many crepes as you please. Store extra crepe mix in the fridge for up to two days.  

As you start preparing your crepes, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large cast-iron pan. Add the morels and sauté until soft. Reduce heat, mix in heavy cream, and heat 2-3 minutes until the mix thickens slightly.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

To assemble, lay out your crepes separately. Evenly distribute about 1/3 cup of the hot filling over each crepe and immediately sprinkle with gruyere. Fold each crepe in half to form a semi-circle, then in half again. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon zest, and serve hot.