a day late…

I have an excellent excuse for not posting yesterday and delivering with the promised seafood crepe recipe. I was on a “special, highly covert, high-security assignment” revolving around THIS, for the Food section of our newspaper, The Arizona Republic.

OK, it wasn’t exactly “all that”! But I was developing recipes for the cover story of the Food section for an upcoming issue. So, I was busy! And the story/recipes really do revolve around THAT.

As bizarre as it certainly sounds, I will fill you in on the details after the story runs in the newspaper, it’s quite amusing, (Let’s just say that THAT had never ever crossed the threshold of my home before this task was handed to me – and all of my friends and family were in a state of shock to see it sitting on our kitchen counter!) so stay tuned.

Now the promised, exceedingly sought-after, and highly anticipated “special occasion” crepe recipe…

Herb Crepes filled with Seafood and Lobster Champagne Sauce

Herb Crepes
2 cups milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled
1 teaspoon salt
1  3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs: tarragon, thyme, chervil, and/or chives
Additional melted butter for the pan

Lobster Champagne Sauce
1 bottle champagne
2 tablespoons honey
1 pound lobster tail
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 cup heavy cream

Filling
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, peeled and minced
1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, coarsely chopped
Lobster tail meat, cubed
1/2 pound cooked crab meat (I prefer Phillips, which Costco again has in stock)
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh snipped chives, for garnish

Crepes: Blend milk, eggs, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and salt in blender for 5 seconds.  Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, blending batter until smooth after each addition. Stir in herbs.  Let batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Whisk batter just before using.

Heat a small nonstick skillet with a 7 – to 8-inch-diameter bottom over medium-high heat; brush with melted butter.  Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into the skillet; swirl the skillet to coat the bottom evenly.  Cook until the bottom of the crepe is golden, about 30 seconds. Loosen edges gently with a spatula and turn crepe over.  Cook until the bottom is brown in spots, about 30 seconds.  Turn crepe out onto a plate. Repeat, making about 16 crepes and stacking them on the plate. (May be made 2 days ahead. Wrap and chill.)

Lobster Champagne Sauce: In a large pot, bring the champagne and honey to a boil. Add the lobster tail; once the champagne has come back up to a boil, cook the lobster tail in the rapidly boiling liquid for 10 minutes. Remove tail with tongs and set aside to cool. When the tail is cool enough to handle, remove the meat and set it aside.  Add the lobster shell to the pot with the champagne. Stir the carrot, shallot, and thyme, into the boiling liquid. Whisk in the tomato paste and Dijon and reduce to 1 cup. Remove lobster shell and discard, then add the cream to the pot and reduce the sauce by half, back down to 1 cup. Set sauce aside. (May be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Filling: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly butter an 11 x 14-inch baking or gratin dish. In a medium sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the shallot and sauté until just softened about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the lobster and crab meats, along with the diced tomato, and heat for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the tarragon and 3/4 cup of the lobster champagne sauce, taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed. (May be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Assembly: Lay out crepes on a work surface and fill each with a scant 1/4 cup of the filling. Roll or fold in half and then in half again. Place in prepared gratin or baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the crepes. (May be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and add 5 minutes to the baking time.) Place in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Serve garnished with chives.

Makes 16