Budget-stretching crepes: Adding a dash of savoir-faire to your meals

Like souffles, omelets and other French dishes, crepes were once considered haute cuisine in American fine dining. Nearly every fancy restaurant had some form of these thin pancakes on the menu, with either a savory or sweet filling.

Yet, in France they are used as a budget-stretcher, as they are "an attractive way to turn leftovers or simple ingredients into a nourishing main-course dish," as Julia Child wrote in her book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Crepes suzette, orange-flavored dessert crepes that were flamed at the table, were considered especially chic, as pointed out in this poem from the February 1943 issue of Gourmet magazine:

"No food is quite as debonair,

Nor is imbued with savoir-faire

It goes with pearls 'round swan-like necks

With limousines, five-figure checks

It matches coats of mink and sable

And priceless silver on the table

And yet, withal its rich appeal

So fitting for a prince's meal

The fact remains — and what a shame!

— It's only pancakes set aflame."

The "flaming food" trend went by the wayside along with tableside preparations, and over the years crepes were crowded off menus as American palates expanded beyond French cuisine.

But, in today's budget-minded economy, crepes may well be on a comeback. They still have that "gourmet" flair, and you can put just about anything into a crepe filling: leftover ham or chicken, cheese, fruit, chocolate, sour cream with brown sugar, to name a few ideas.

And you don't need a lot of filling, said Robert Bryant, a local chef who taught a crepes class at the Harmons Culinary Education Center at the Bangerter Crossing store. For the class, he demonstrated a savory spinach, shrimp and artichoke filling; a sweet crepe filled with sliced, sweetened strawberries, and a chocolate crepe slathered with Nutella, the hazelnut-chocolate spread.

"Crepes are so simple," he said. "We think of them as something stuffed with a lot of filling and rolled up, which is American-style. But in Europe there's very little filling in them, and they are folded in thirds and served flat. You don't want so much filling that you lose the value of the crepe, the texture and flavor."