If it's time to feed your discard and you have ham left from the holidays, you're in luck! You can make a fantastic dinner that's good enough for company but that you won't want to share! The crepes are that good! Making sourdough crepes is a great way to use up your discard in a new way, and the crepes have far more flavor than "regular" crepes. Filled with ham, cheese, and broccoli, the crepes are a savory, simple supper. Covered with a velvety cheese sauce and baked, well those ham, cheese, and broccoli crepes just went to a 10 on the scale of great. You can make the crepes in advance and refrigerate or freeze them for use later (just put a piece of waxed paper between each crepe to help you separate them later). You also can substitute well-drained chopped, cooked spinach for the broccoli, if you'd prefer.
Sourdough Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli Crepes -- Makes 8+
Crepes
1 cup of sourdough discard/starter
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3/4 - 1 cup of milk (depending on the stiffness of your starter--I use 1 cup, because my
starter is pretty stiff)
1/2 cup of flour
In a large bowl, beat together the starter/discard, eggs, oil, salt, and milk until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the flour until no lumps remain. You should have a thick but pourable batter--a little thinner than a normal pancake batter. Heat an 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and spritz it or wipe it with a little canola oil. Pour in about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of batter, tilting the pan to distribute the batter over the bottom of the pan. Let the crepe cook a few minutes or so until the top appears to have a matte finish and is firm to the touch. The bottom (cooked side) should be golden brown/spotty brown. Carefully loosen the edges of the crepe, then slide it onto a plate. No flipping required! Repeat the process with the remaining batter, placing a small sheet of waxed paper between the crepes as you stack them. You should have 8-12 crepes. The first couple may not come out easily/as well as you'd like. Not to worry, they'll get easier/better. You can always sample the rejects/extras! The extras/torn crepes are especially good smeared with jam, Nutella, or peanut butter, and eaten alongside a cup of coffee or tea! Cook's treat!
Ham and Cheese Crepes
1 1/2 tablespoons of canola oil, divided
1/2 cup of chopped onion
2 cups of chopped ham
2 cups of frozen broccoli, thawed a little
1 cup of cubed cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of milk (I use low-fat, which works fine)
1-2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/2 tablespoon of canola oil to it. Add the onion and saute it for five minutes until it begins to soften. Add the ham and continue sauteing it with the onion for about 5 minutes or until the ham browns a bit and the onion is soft. Add the broccoli and let it warm for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and spritz a large baking dish or pan with non-stick cooking spray. Separate eight crepes and divide the ham, onion, broccoli mixture among them, placing the filling in a strip along the center of each crepe. Divide the cubed cheese among the crepes, placing it on top of the ham, onion, broccoli mixture. Fold the edges of the crepes over the filling and place the crepes in the prepared baking dish, seam-sides down. Heat the remaining one tablespoon of oil in the now empty skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle on the flour and brown the flour in the oil for a few minutes. Turn down the heat to medium-low and whisk in the milk and mustard. Keep whisking until the mixture evens out and thickens into a sauce. Whisk in one cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper, if you like. Pour the cheese sauce on top of the crepes in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar on top of the cheese sauce. Bake the crepes for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let the crepes stand for five minutes before serving them.
