Recipe: Chicken Crepes Mornay (Seventeen magazine, 1970's)

CHICKEN CREPES MORNAY

"Terrific light supper thin crepes filled with chicken and mushrooms, then topped with a creamy sauce. If you like, you can use leftover turkey instead of chicken."

FOR THE BASIC CREPE BATTER:
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
Melted butter or peanut oil (for cooking the crepes)
FOR THE CHICKEN MIXTURE:
6 Tablespoons butter, divided use
1/4 pound mushrooms, chopped
6 medium scallions, chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
FOR THE MORNAY SAUCE:
4 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup light cream
FOR TOPPING:
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs.

TO MAKE THE CREPE BATTER:
Beat flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and eggs with an electric mixer, to form a thick paste. Slowly stir in 1 1/2 cups milk; beat till smooth. Let stand at room temperature for one hour. (Batter can keep overnight in refrigerator.)

WHEN READY TO COOK THE CREPES:
Heat a 7-inch crepe pan or small skillet (one with sloping sides) over medium-high heat. Brush pan lightly with some melted butter or oil, then pour in 2 tablespoons of batter. Quickly tilt and turn pan batter covers bottom completely. Cook over medium heat for one minute (until top of crepe is dry, bottom is lightly browned). Then lift crepe with spatula; turn onto other side. Cook till second side is lightly browned.

Slide crepe out of pan onto waxed paper. Repeat process, stacking the crepes between waxed paper. (Makes 18 crepes - crepes can be wrapped, then refrigerated or frozen for later use.)

Set aside 8 crepes for this recipe (freeze the rest for another time).

TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN MIXTURE:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped mushrooms scallions, and parsley, and saute till tender. Mix in shredded chicken or turkey and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

TO PREPARE THE MORNAY SAUCE:
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then stir in flour till completely smooth. The resulting mixture is called a roux. (Use a wire whisk for stirring, and make sure you get all the lumps out now, or there'll be lumps in the finished sauce.)

Now, slowly pour milk into the roux. stirring rapidly so lumps won't form. Then cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, till it boils and thickens. Add remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Now you have a white, or bechamel, sauce. To make a Mornay sauce, just stir in grated Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, then heat till cheese is completely melted.

Add one cup of Mornay sauce to chicken mixture, for flavor and to bind
it together. Set aside. Then stir light cream into the remaining Mornay sauce (that'll be for pouring on top of crepes later.)

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE:
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay crepes out flat. Spoon 1/4 cup filling down the center of each crepe. Fold one side over, covering most of the filling, then other side (overlapping first fold), and place in an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.

Pour Mornay sauce over crepes. Then mix melted butter and bread crumbs together, and sprinkle on top of sauce.

Bake in 350 degree F oven for 20 to 30 minutes, till bubbly.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Seventeen Magazine, November 1978 issue, pages 41 & 42.