Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Savory Mushroom Chicken Crepes




Simplicity. The more I discover about food photography and what catches my eye, the more I appreciate simplicity.  While I adore gorgeous images of beautifully set tables and of course, of attractively styled food, I truly love the shots that catch the pure beauty of the ingredient itself.

Seemingly fairly easy to take a pictures of a vegetable or a piece of fruit, my last Food Photography Challenge truly caused me to stretch myself with an assignment to shoot a vegetable raw and then prepared.  For my final submission I chose scallions fresh from my Dad's garden - dirt still clinging to the tender, fragrant roots and then our favorite Scallion Biscuits.  Taking less than 10 shots to capture my favorite image, it was the simplicity of the scene that, in my opinion, brought balance to the photo.

Unstyled (the scallions were simply place on a cutting board), natural, and raw, taking such a shot is not always as easy as I thought.  (From our Photo Challenge Group, also see Stacey Siegal's stunning shot of Romanesco, magazine worthy indeed).


The weeks prior to the challenge had me shooting sweet potatoes, grilled onions and fungus... the every popular mushroom.  Taking over 200 mushroom shots, I only found a few achieving the simplicity I was looking for.  The savory crepes created from the mushrooms, though, were a delicious treat that I eagerly polished off after finishing their photos.

A Cooking Light recipe from one of my "go-to" books, Cooking Light Chicken, I used my new favorite crepe recipe from Alton Brown to wrap the creamy goodies, creating a wonderful light lunch.  The tender mushrooms sauteed in chicken broth and white wine, if desired, are mixed with onion and chicken and then lightly "creamed" with a touch of cremé fraîche.  Simple, tasty, and a nice change from the sweet crepe we are used to, these savory wraps have made it to our dinner rotation.


Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Crepes

1 batch savory crepes (We like Alton Brown's Savory Version)

1 teaspoon butter 
1 cup vertically sliced onion 
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups thinly sliced baby portobello mushroom caps (about 6 ounces) 
3/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry white wine 
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)
2 cups left over chopped chicken
Thyme sprigs (optional)

 

Directions from Cooking Light:  

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Add wine, and cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Add broth and fresh thyme; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add crème fraîche, stirring until well blended. Add chicken, tossing to coat.

 

Place 1 crepe on each of 6 plates. Spoon about 1/3 cup mushroom mixture into center of each crepe; roll up. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired. Serve immediately.

 

 

22 comments:

  1. Savory crepes? I've never tried those before...but these look incredible!!

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  2. I am amazed at how thin and perfect your crepes are (that's the first thing that hit me).

    I have baby bellos but need to use them in another recipe and now I'm really bummed about that. I guess I'll be heading to the store soon. Even if I don't attempt the crepes (no, I've never been successful at them), the filling would be outstanding over pasta, no?

    Your photography is stunning. I love the mushrooms. 200 photos? Really? Wow.

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  3. These sound so delicious! There is a crepe restaurant by my house that does a version of these, probably with a lot more calories. I've never thought to try it at home, until now! Thanks!

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  4. I think the second narrow photo of the mushrooms alone is spectacular -- and I love mushroom crepes.

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  5. Oh, these look amazing! All those gorgeous mushrooms.....mmmmmmm. I think I like savory crepes as much as dessert crepes :)

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  6. Kim,
    Your crepes look wonderful. Crepes are so versatile, either savory or sweet, and the perfect light lunch.

    Your photos are stunning!

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  7. Crepes really intimidate me!

    I agree with your take on simplicity and photos. That pic of the mushrooms is fabulous.

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  8. I have never made crepes before. These look absolutely delicious! I had something similar in a little cafe in Chicago once (probably 7 years ago), and have never forgotten them!

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  9. I have never made crepes before. These look absolutely delicious! I had something similar in a little cafe in Chicago once (probably 7 years ago), and have never forgotten them!

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  10. These are perfect! I love savory crepes too and mushrooms and chickens are a great filling!

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  11. OOO LA LA! I love this crepe combo! And the creme fraiche sounds simply decadent!

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  12. Now these are right up my alley Kim - I will take two please! :-)

    xoxo from Trinidad

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  13. these savory crepes sound creamy delicious :)
    Ridwan

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  14. YUM! These crepes look wonderful and photos........ simply amazing! Who makes mushrooms look so lovely?

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  15. Mushrooms & onions together are seriously one of my favorite things to eat!

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  16. I adore savory crepes, and this filling would be a huge hit with me. I can never get enough mushrooms - beautiful recipe :)

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  17. Beautiful pictures of melt in your mouth savory crepes, such a gorgeous plate of food;-)

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  18. You are a talented crepe maker, Kim!

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  19. I think you are the queen of granola, pancakes and crepes :) you have such fabulous recipes! And these savory crepes look divine! I would be glad to eat a few of these for breakfast, lunch and dinner... Love this one! Gorgeous pictures!

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  20. A beautiful recipe and I agree ... exquisite pictures of fresh ingredients are just so lovely. My struggle is how many to include in a post ... I liked your collage effect on this particular post.

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  21. You just made my mouth water and I will dream about this dish tonight!:)) You made one of my favorites here..crepes and mushrooms:)) Perfect and sooo tasty!!!

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