It’s official, I have a crepe problem. Nutella with strawberries, salted caramel, and now a savory version. This is my attempt at recreating one of my favorite meals in San Francisco. Chez Maman is a little restaurant in Potrero Hill. We used to go there for lunch on Sundays or the occasional extra-long lunch date during the week. We’d sit at the counter, or perhaps outside on the rare sunny day with a glass of wine. I would order this nutty buckwheat crepes filled with savory shredded chicken and a mustard sauce. Franklin would get a croque madame or maybe a ham and gruyere crepe. We’d share matchstick fries with creamy homemade aioli, then we’d stop by the bakery down to street to share a cupcake for dessert.
So when I happened upon buckwheat crepes in the frozen section of one of the import stores, I had to buy them and try my hand. This recipe is pretty close, although it’s been several years since I’ve tried the original. You can certainly make your own buckwheat crepes, but I can’t find the flour here.
You can make chicken breasts specifically for this recipe, or cook up a few extra one night and save them. I had chicken left from roasting a whole bird, so I shredded that and used it here. Between the leftover chicken and the pre-made crepes, this meal came together in less than 30 minutes.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1/2 c dry white wine
- 1 c chicken stock
- 3/4 cup cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
- 5 buckwheat crepes
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chopped shallots and cook until soft but before they begin to brown.
- Add the mustard and white wine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until wine has reduced by half, about 6 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and return the pan to a simmer. Cook until the liquid reduces by half again, about 10 minutes.
- Add the cream and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- If using frozen crepes, heat them in the microwave until warm. Otherwise, make your crepes at this point! Add about 1/3 of a cup of filling onto a wedge the size of 1/4 of the crepe. Fold the crepe in half to form a semicircle. Fold in half again to form a wedge. Serve with a salad.
- Serve with a leafy side salad. A balsamic vinaigrette pairs nicely. Oh yeah, and a glass of nice white wine!
