Neighborhood Eats: French and Scandinavian restaurant's crepes | ABC7 New York

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By abc7NY

Friday, October 28, 2011

NEW YORK

"For me it's a fun thing, French style crepes," he said.

So you'll find flavors of his native Norway like the shrimps or lingonberries or herring. There's the popular crepe du nord, it begins, like all crepes there do, with a buckwheat batter. Then fresh eggs are lightly scrambled and placed on top of the crepe. It's folded and it's topped off with Norwegian smoked salmon, dill dressing and fresh chives grown on the chef's farm, which serves all his restaurants.

But, there is more to the restaurant than just crepes. Crepes are on one side, but there is a whole other side.

At Smorgas Chef it's all about Scandinavian. The two restaurants share a hallway and you can order from either menu. Smorgas Chef has outdoor seating on charming Stone Street.

Crêpe Du Nord Recipe (serves 1)
Smoked Salmon, Scrambled Egg, Dill Crème
1 buckwheat crepe (recipe for crepe below)

For crepe filling

Soft scramble 2 large eggs, whisked with 2 Tbsp cream
Top with fresh chopped chives (1 tsp)
Place the scrambled egg on center of the crepe, and fold accordingly.
Top the crepe with thinly sliced Norwegian or other high-quality smoked salmon (about 2 oz)
Top with 2 Tbsp dill dressing (recipe below)
Garnish with more chives and lemon twist.

SAVORY BUCKWHEAT CREPE BATTER
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tsp salt (kosher salt preferred)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup flour
3 large organic eggs

Using a blender or a large bowl and whisk, mix together all the ingredients until smooth.

Cover and chill overnight to allow ingredients to flavors and ingredients to blend. Remove the batter from the fridge for half an hour before using.

Heat a 9-in skillet (or crepe pan, if using) on medium heat. Stir the batter well. Add a small amount of butter or oil to the pan, swirl it around, and let excess run off. Using a ladle, pour ¼ cup of batter into the skillet and swirl to spread the batter into a uniform circle. You will need to work fairly quickly, depending on the heat of the pan - after the first few crepes, you will establish a rhythm. The crepe should cook on one side in a minute or less.

Using your fingers or a spatula, flip the crepe over by grabbing one edge. The other side will only need about 30 seconds or so to cook through. Place the finished crepe on a dinner plate and continue to make the desired number of crepes by stacking them, one on top of the other. The crepes can be reheated in the oven at 325 degrees for a few minutes before using.

Dill Crème
1 cup mayo
3 cups sour cream
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
¼ tsp cayenne
½ cup finely chopped dill
s&p to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and combine until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store, covered, in the refrigerator, up to 3 days.