Turkey, Swiss-Apple Fondue and Broccoli Crepes

So, guests are coming over and all you have is leftover turkey, some eggs, some cheese and some frozen veggies. Or maybe your family is just tired of turkey sandwiches. This recipe may be your saving grace. Added bonus: you get to be fabulous as….all get-out.

There are savory crepes, there are sweet crepes, but one thing is always constant—people think they are hard to make or finicky. It’s time to dispel those myths. Crepes are just thin pancakes and they are affordable and so incredibly versatile. You can put peanut butter and jelly on them, butter and cinnamon sugar, meat and cheese, whatever you like.

I needed to connect with my late mother today and all I could think about was the little crepe maker I inherited from her. We used to have so much fun dipping the batter and making mounds of crepes. To be honest, I don’t even remember eating them-it was the experience of being with my mom in the kitchen that I truly adored. How cute is this little guy?

Don’t worry if you don’t have one of these. The directions below are for a regular, 8-inch non-stick skillet. I’m making a very basic crepe batter that will go with anything-sweet or savory.

Ingredients (makes about 15 8-inch crepes)

For the crepes:

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Pinch of salt

For the fondue:

3 cups shredded Swiss, emmantaler or gruyere cheese (I like a mix of at least 2 of these cheeses)

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup hard apple cider (or regular apple cider or apple juice, whatever you have)

1 cup light beer

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Assembly (no measurements here-just use what you like or let each person assemble their own):

Turkey slices

Dijon mustard

Steamed broccoli

Fresh chives for garnish

Directions:

For the crepes: Combine all the batter ingredients in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined (no lumps). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for one hour at room temperature.

Spray an 8-inch, non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and use a paper towel to spread the cooking spray around and remove any excess. Heat on medium low to medium heat.

Place a scant ¼ cup of the crepe batter into the center of the frying pan and swirl around to coat just the bottom of the pan. Cook, without stirring, for about 2-3 minutes or until you start to see some golden brown spots around the edges. The edges might even start to curl in slightly. Flip the crepe out of the pan onto a plate and repeat until all the batter is used-you can just put one crepe on top of the others until you have a stack.  You do not need to turn the crepes over and cook the second side. If you cook both sides, they become too crisp to fold nicely.

If you are going to leave the stack of crepes for any period of time, you might want to cover them with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.

For the fondue:

Toss the cheese(s) and cornstarch together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a medium sized saucepan on medium heat and add the hard cider and light beer. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the cheese one handful at a time. Whisk until the cheeses melts and then add another handful. Continue until all the cheese is used. Add the nutmeg and salt and bring to a full boil for just a minute or until the fondue is thick and glossy. Don’t boil too long or the cheese will burn the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, whisk one more time and keep warm.

Assembly:

Lay a crepe on a plate, cooked (golden) side down. Put some turkey down the center and dab it with the mustard. Add some broccoli and a few spoonfuls of the fondue. Fold and top with some chopped chives.