Beggars Purses Recipe Aumônière De Crêpes

BEGGARS' PURSES

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and set aside 2 tablespoons for cooking crêpes. Continue to cook butter remaining in skillet until it has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Blend brown butter with remaining crêpeingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blend brown butter with remaining crêpe ingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blanch whole chives:
• Blanch chives in a small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain and plunge into an ice bath. Pat dry.
• Make crêpes:
• Lightly brush skillet with butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter. With skillet off heat, add a scant 1/4 cup batter, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets too fast, reduce heat slightly.) Cook until golden around edges, 15 to 30 seconds. Loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Make more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crêpes on plate.
• Assemble purses:
• Top each crêpe, browned side up, with about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoon caviar. Gather crêpe around filling and tie 1 or 2 blanched chives in a knot to close purse. Trim ends of chives if necessary.

BEGGARS PURSES FILLED WITH SHRIMP AND SCENTED WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Start by making the aromatic shrimp filling: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season the mix with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1-inch of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the chives in the water and blanch for 1 minute. Remove the chives and squeeze them dry in a paper towel. The chives will be all bunched up in a ball at this point, so carefully separate them and set them aside.
• To assemble your purses: take a crepe and cut it in half. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shrimp filling in the middle of each half of crepe and draw up the sides of the crepe as to make a pouch of filling resembling a purse. Carefully twist the crepe around at the top and lay it on its side, holding the crepe closed at the top. Slip a chive under the crepe and tie it around the twisted top in a knot to secure the purse. Trim away any extra crepe and length of chive. After practicing this technique a few times you will get the hang of it and they will come together nicely. These may be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month.
• To make the crepe batter, combine the flour, milk, water, eggs, 2 tablespoons of butter, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until the batter is smooth. Cover and let the batter sit for 30 minutes. This is essential in creating strong crepes which will hold up to the stress of tying them into your beggars purses. Place a 7 1/2-inch nonstick crepe pan over medium heat. Brush a little of the remaining melted butter into the pan with a pastry brush. Ladle 2 tablespoons of crepe batter into the pan and swirl to coat the entire pan evenly. Cook the crepe until it is set and the bottom is golden brown. Using a heat-proof rubber spatula, flip the crepe over and cook on the second side until it is lightly browned as well. Continue making crepes with remaining batter. Set aside covered with a dish towel until you are ready to assemble your beggars purses.

CREPE SUCREE BEGGAR'S PURSES

Steps:

• To make the crepes: Place the flour in a bowl, and add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of the milk. Whisk slowly until a smooth batter forms. Add remaining 1 cup milk, and whisk to combine. Cover, and refrigerate batter for 30 minutes or overnight. Just before using, whisk in melted butter.
• Heat a 6-inch crepe pan, either well seasoned or with a nonstick surface, over medium heat. The pan is ready when a drop of water dances on the hot surface. Hold pan in one hand, tilting it slightly. Using a small ladle, pour about 2 tablespoons batter into pan where sides and bottom meet. Turn pan in a circular motion to spread batter evenly. The amount of batter used should just coat bottom of pan. Any excess should be poured back into bowl.
• Cook the crepe until edges begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, and cook 10 to 15 seconds more. Slide onto a plate. The surface of the crepe should be medium brown in color. (If, after cooking 2 crepes, the color is too dark or too light, adjust heat accordingly. At the same point, if the crepes are too thick, thin batter with milk.) Repeat with remaining batter, stacking crepes on top of one another until all the batter is used. Allow crepes to cool.
• To make lemon-zest strips: Using a channel knife and working from top to bottom, remove long strips from lemons. Try to keep the strips as intact as possible to yield about three strips (each 4 inches long) from each lemon. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add lemon strips, and blanch for 30 seconds. Remove, and pat dry.
• To make the purses: Place a crepe on a clean work surface. Fill with about 1 tablespoon creme patissiere. Gather edges of crepe up and around filling, creating a "beggar's purse." Tie purse closed with lemon-zest strip. Repeat with remaining crepes, creme patissiere, and lemon zest strips. If desired, reserve a few crepes to fill with berries when plating.
• To serve, arrange purses on plates. Decorate plates with sauce au chocolate, raspberry coulis, or creme anglaise, if desired, and berries. An unfilled crepe, if using, can be folded and filled with diced berries.