4oz.Gruyere or Swiss cheese(this amount is included in the Cheese Sauce below)
Cheese Sauce
1stickbutter, unsalted
½cupall purpose flour
2½-3cupsmilk
12oz.shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheesefor this recipe, you need a total of 12 oz. of cheese: 6 oz. for sauce; 4 oz. for crepe filling; 2 oz. for garnish on top
2tablespoonsDijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep
Clean mushrooms with damp paper towel; remove stems; pulse in food processor to small pieces; set aside
Chop onions; set aside
Shred cheese in food processor or by hand; set aside
Prepare crepe batter; set aside
Cook the Filling
In one skillet, brown sausage until no pink is visible; add onions and cook 5-7 minutes; drain, return pan to low heat, add ground sage; season with salt and pepper to taste
In a second skillet, melt butter, add chopped mushrooms and lemon juice; cook 7 minutes until mushrooms are tender
Add cooked mushrooms to sausage pan
Add raw spinach to sausage/mushroom mixture (by the handful, one at a time) until all spinach is incorporated into sausage mixture;
Make the Crepes
Heat non-stick skillet and spray a light coat of oil on the pan; turn heat to medium
Add ¼ cup of crepe batter; spread batter out in pan by rotating pan over heat
Cook 1 minute or until the color of the crepe is consistent and opaque throughout
Place cooked crepe on wax paper
Repeat process (yes, spray oil in the skillet before you cook each crepe)
Make the Cheese Sauce
In a large pan, melt butter on medium heat; gradually sprinkle in flour; whisking constantly
Gradually add two cups of milk, (one cup at a time) whisking constantly until smooth;
Add 6 oz. of shredded cheese to pan; continue to whisk
Add another cup of milk and continue to whisk
At this point, taste, season with salt and pepper and turn heat to low;
Ladel one cup of sauce in a 9 x 13 baking dish
Assemble the Crepes
Preheat oven to 350ºF
Place cooked crepe in one hand and add ¼ cup of the sausage/mushroom/spinach mixture
Sprinkle a little shredded cheese over the mixture
Place crepe on flat surface and begin to roll crepe into a tube
Place the crepe in the baking dish with the seam side down; repeat for all crepes
Ladel a little bit of sauce over the crepes
Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes
When the crepes are almost done, go back to the sauce and bring the heat up to medium high
At this point, if the sauce is too thick, add the last cup of milk; continue to whisk until smooth
Remove crepes from oven, plate and drizzle cheese sauce over the crepe
Garnish with remaining cheese and serve
Notes
A Note About Crepes:Before you start this recipe, make a few crepes. Remember, they don't have to look perfect because you're going to roll them up. The first few crepes might come out bad, but don't quit. Once you get the hang of it, it's quick and easy.
Each crepe takes less than one minute.
Spray oil in non-stick skillet for each crepe; just a little spray oil, not a lot.
You can tell when the crepe is done by the color and feel:
The color of the crepe changes as it cookes and the bubbles go away (like making pancakes)
The crepe will easily come out of the skillet when the batter is cooked; use a spatula and if the crepe won't come out in the center, it's because the center isn't done yet. Don't force it--just wait a few seconds then nudge it again with the spatula.
Place each cooked crepe on wax paper; do not stack the crepes on one another
The crepes might stick to the wax paper a bit; just gently pull them away; if the edges tear, that's okay because you're going to roll the crepe