Seafood Crepes With a
Sweet Finish
Every year my family gathers at a beach house in North Carolina, spending most of our time cooking, re-creating favorite dishes from our Brooklyn days. My sister Pauline developed a seafood variation of our mother’s much-loved manicotti recipe that’s perfect for winter or summer. Enjoy these crepes with steamed green vegetables and a pillowy sweet-meringue dessert.

Ingredients:
Velouté Sauce:
1/2 pound shrimp
4 cups water
Small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup grated romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and de-vein the shrimp, reserving shells. Boil shells in water with onion, carrot and celery along with peppercorns and bay leaf. After 10 minutes, strain the broth and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour; stir over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, forming a roux. Whisk in broth and cook
until sauce thickens. Add romano cheese; season
with salt and pepper. Stir until smooth and creamy.

Filling:
Chop into small pieces: 1/2 pound shrimp (peeled and de-veined) and 1/2 pound scallops (side muscle removed). Fold in 1 pound ricotta cheese (drained),
1 cup velouté sauce (above) and 1/2 cup chopped parsley.

Crepes:
Beat 4 eggs; stir in 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slowly add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water. Whisk to make a smooth, thin batter. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over
medium-low heat. Add enough batter to barely cover the bottom of the pan; swirl to create an even layer. Cook just until the top looks dry; loosen, turn over and cook for a few seconds on the second side. Turn out onto a dish. Makes 12 to 15.

Directions:
Put 2 heaping tablespoons of filling onto one edge of a crepe; roll up to form a cylinder. Place it into a baking dish, to which a thin layer of velouté sauce has been spread along the bottom. Repeat with all crepes; pour remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with grated cheese, if desired, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees in the center of the crepes. Add a few sprigs of parsley as a garnish.

Serves 6.

Save some room for the delicious Meringue Cookies.

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TOP 10 ESSENTIALS FOR COOKING
Here's my top-10 list of kitchen essentials for a well-equipped kitchen:

1. An 8-inch chef knife and 3-inch paring knife. Make sure they are high-carbon stainless, forged knives. Avoid the "82-knife set."

2. Cutting board. I favor nylon or bamboo. In either case, make sure it is lightweight and at least 12-by-20-inches.

3. Measuring cups and spoons. You'll need a 2-cup and a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, a set of measuring cups for dry ingredients and a set of measuring spoons. Stainless steel is the most durable.

4. A 12-inch nonstick skillet with cover. Tri-ply such as All-Clad is the best for even heating. This pan does everything from omelets to sautés.

5. An 8-quart stock pot. This is essential for boiling pasta, steaming vegetables or making large batches of chili, soups and stews.

6. Colander. Get stainless steel with firmly riveted handles.

7. A 3-quart covered saucepan. This rounds out your pots-and-pans inventory for small boiling projects and heating canned soups.

8. A four-sided cheese grater. Freshly grated cheese is a big flavor boost for your cooking. This tool is also useful for grating vegetables and shredding lemon zest.

9. Sheet pan. This inexpensive pan has raised sides and can be used to bake cookies, breads and pizza, or to roast vegetables and meats.

10. A 6-quart slow cooker. This is a working couple's best friend. Ten minutes of prep in the morning yields a dinner entree and loads of leftovers. The models with the thickest insert provide the slowest, most-even cooking. Be sure it's at least a 5-quart capacity.

- Chris Fennimor