PORTLAND, Maine — Annie Mahle is an expert when it comes to cooking in small spaces. She spent many years cooking aboard the Schooner J. & E. Riggin in a small galley kitchen. Mahle has also written multiple cookbooks including her latest, The Tiny Kitchen Cookbook.
Crab and Avocado Crêpes with Chipotle Cream
Crêpes are like skinny pancakes and just as simple to make. They can be made savory or sweet and can serve as a snack or a meal.
Serves 2; makes 4 crêpes
Crêpes
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus a dab for the skillet
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Chipotle Cream
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely minced chipotle en adobo
- Pinch of kosher salt
Filling
- ½ tablespoon salted butter
- 4 ounces crab meat (about {1/2} cup)
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 4 poached eggs (optional; see the sidebar below)
- Pinch of kosher salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Set a plate or platter in the oven to warm.
- To make the crêpe batter, whisk the flour, eggs, water, milk, melted butter, and salt together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until it’s hot. Then add a dab of butter, let it melt, and ladle 1/4 cup of the crêpe batter into the skillet. Tilt the skillet to coat the bottom. After 30 seconds to a minute, when you can see that bubbles have formed, flip it and cook until it’s just beginning to brown, another 30 seconds to one minute. Transfer the finished crêpe to the plate in the warm oven. (Don’t worry if the first crêpe is a loss; it usually is. The next ones will be fine. You shouldn’t need butter after the first crêpe.)
- To make the chipotle cream, combine the cream, lemon juice, chipotle, and salt in a small skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour the sauce into a small cup or pitcher and set aside for serving.
- To assemble the crêpes, melt the butter in the same small skillet and add the crabmeat to warm it up. Layer crabmeat, avocado, and a poached egg, if you’re using them, on each crêpe and roll them up. Set the crêpes seam side down on plates, drizzle with the chipotle cream, and serve immediately
How to Poach Eggs
- To poach about 4 eggs at a time, fill a large saucepan with at least 2 inches of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a teaspoon of white vinegar and bring almost to a simmer over high heat. Then reduce the heat so that the water is just barely burping.
- Use a wooden spoon to gently swirl the water in one direction. Carefully crack each egg into the center of the pan, bringing the eggs as close to the surface as possible before releasing them into the water. If this is difficult, crack each egg into a cup, then lower the cup’s edge to the surface of the water and gently slip the egg into the water. Ever so gently swirl the water again in the same direction. If it looks like the whites are going to trail around the yolks in wisps, agitate the water next to each egg, again ever so gently, to help them hold together.
- Just barely simmer the eggs for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on how loose you like your yolks. You can tell that an egg is done when you lift it out of the water and the center is still jiggly but the white is firm. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, dabbing the bottom of the spoon on a towel to remove excess water