Just in time for holiday brunches: a recipe for elegant crepes.And if the idea of do-it-yourself crepes makes you want to turn the page, hold on just a moment, says Johnson County Community College student Kassidy Sollars, who is a chef apprentice at the Overland Park Convention Center.Crepes are surprisingly simple to make, Sollars says. She’s been perfecting her technique with a part-time job at the crepe station at Cinzetti’s Italian Market Restaurant in Overland Park.“If you have an egg, a cup of milk and some flour, you have a crepe,” she said.The thin French pancakes can be sweet for dessert or savory as a first course or main dish. Sollars prefers the savory, and she suggests serving this recipe for Mushroom Bacon Crepes with breakfast potatoes and fruit.Here are some hints for successful crepe-making:• If the batter seems thin, don’t be tempted to thicken it. It’s supposed to be thin — the consistency of light cream or half-and-half. That allows it to be swirled around the crepe pan in the paper-thin layer that gives the pancakes their character.• Some chefs suggest putting the batter through a sieve to remove all lumps and then letting the batter rest for an hour or so to let the proteins soften and allow the batter to swirl easily in the pan.• You don’t have to use a crepe pan, but they’re fairly inexpensive, and the distinctive slope of the sides makes both swirling and turning the crepes easier.• Crepes cook quickly: Once you’ve returned the pan to the heat after swirling, the top should be dry and ready to turn in less than a minute. After turning, the crepe should be ready in another 10 seconds or so.• Run a spatula around the edges of the crepe to loosen the edges. You may have to use your fingers to turn the crepe.• Filled crepes can be folded enchilada style, as Sollars did for this recipe. In that case, put the filling in the center of the crepe and fold it around the filling. You can also fold the crepes in quarters. Put the filling in a quarter of the crepe, then fold it in half and then in half again.

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COOKING 101 | Mushroom Bacon Crepes

Cooking 101 | Simple and savory crepes

Thin French pancakes are easy and can be served several ways.

STEP BY STEP

ABOUT THE COLUMN

Cooking 101 is a bimonthly column exclusive to The Star and designed to introduce home cooks to basic techniques. The recipe, food styling and photography involve culinary students and instructors in the Johnson County Community College Hospitality Management classes.

THE STYLIST

Recipe and food styling by Kassidy Sollars, 20, a fifth-semester student in the JCCC Hospitality Management program. She is an apprentice at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Mushroom Bacon Crepes

Makes six servings, two crepes per serving

For crêpes

1 large egg

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

For filling

6 slices bacon

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thin

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare crêpes: In a bowl, whisk together egg, milk, butter and parsley until combined well. Add flour, salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth.

Heat a 6- to 8-inch crepe pan over moderately high heat until hot. Brush pan with vegetable oil and reheat until hot but not smoking.

Remove pan from heat. Stir batter. Fill a 1/4 cup measuring cup half full of batter; pour into pan. Tilt and rotate pan quickly to cover bottom with a thin layer of batter, return excess batter to bowl.

Return pan to heat and loosen edge of crêpe with a spatula. Cook crêpe until underside is lightly browned. Turn crêpe and lightly brown other side.

Transfer crêpe to a plate. Make more crêpes with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with oil as necessary.

Make filling: In a large heavy skillet, cook bacon over moderately high heat until crisp, and transfer to paper towels to drain. Chop bacon.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add mushrooms and 1 tablespoon butter, and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until liquid from mushrooms is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Preheat oven to 200°F. In a heavy saucepan, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat. Whisk in flour, making a roux. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes.

Add milk gradually, whisking constantly, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened and smooth.

Add mushrooms, cream, parsley, bacon, salt and pepper to taste and simmer 10 minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat; cool filling slightly.

Spread each crêpe with about 1/4 cup of filling, and fold in quarters, transferring crêpes as filled to an ovenproof platter.

Heat crêpes in preheated oven until heated through. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 332 calories (68 percent from fat), 25 grams total fat (12 grams saturated), 95 milligrams cholesterol, 18 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams protein, 342 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

More News

Just in time for holiday brunches: a recipe for elegant crepes.

And if the idea of do-it-yourself crepes makes you want to turn the page, hold on just a moment, says Johnson County Community College student Kassidy Sollars, who is a chef apprentice at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Crepes are surprisingly simple to make, Sollars says. She’s been perfecting her technique with a part-time job at the crepe station at Cinzetti’s Italian Market Restaurant in Overland Park.

“If you have an egg, a cup of milk and some flour, you have a crepe,” she said.

The thin French pancakes can be sweet for dessert or savory as a first course or main dish. Sollars prefers the savory, and she suggests serving this recipe for Mushroom Bacon Crepes with breakfast potatoes and fruit.

Here are some hints for successful crepe-making:

• If the batter seems thin, don’t be tempted to thicken it. It’s supposed to be thin — the consistency of light cream or half-and-half. That allows it to be swirled around the crepe pan in the paper-thin layer that gives the pancakes their character.

• Some chefs suggest putting the batter through a sieve to remove all lumps and then letting the batter rest for an hour or so to let the proteins soften and allow the batter to swirl easily in the pan.

• You don’t have to use a crepe pan, but they’re fairly inexpensive, and the distinctive slope of the sides makes both swirling and turning the crepes easier.

• Crepes cook quickly: Once you’ve returned the pan to the heat after swirling, the top should be dry and ready to turn in less than a minute. After turning, the crepe should be ready in another 10 seconds or so.

• Run a spatula around the edges of the crepe to loosen the edges. You may have to use your fingers to turn the crepe.

• Filled crepes can be folded enchilada style, as Sollars did for this recipe. In that case, put the filling in the center of the crepe and fold it around the filling. You can also fold the crepes in quarters. Put the filling in a quarter of the crepe, then fold it in half and then in half again.