apple bacon crepes

I can't keep this recipe to myself.  It's just too darn good.  In a moment of desperation, as I looked in my bare refrigerator, I decided to make crepes for dinner yesterday.  We never have spare chicken in the house but bacon always seems to be in the freezer.  I had eggs, flour, milk...so I just got to thinking crepes would be nice. And they were.  I will be making them again.  Most likely for breakfast or brunch but soon I'm sure.

Crepes (makes 6)
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp oil
pinch salt

Mix all the ingredients together and spread 4 Tbsp batter on a hot greased 9 inch non-stick skillet.  Let it brown for a few minutes.  No need to flip just peel it off the pan with a spatula and keep warm in a low oven under a damp paper towel.  Or you can let them cool to room temp and reheat them in the microwave when needed.

Somewhere along the road, I got it in my head that crepes were difficult and time consuming to make.  It's true you make them one at a time and they don't always turn out perfect but I found this recipe to be a piece of cake.  The trick is to keep your pan nice and hot and greased well.  Crepes are not hard!  Hooray for this realization.

Filling
1 green apple sliced, peels on
8-10 strips bacon
1/4 cup finely chopped purple onion

Cook bacon on medium heat until crisp.  Remove from pan.  Add apples and onion to saute in a little of the bacon fat for a few minutes.  Remove from pan.  I like the apples still a bit crunchy but the onions should be soft.

Cheese sauce (the stuff that ties it all together)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
3 slices provolone cheese (cheddar or Fontina would be niceas well)
1/4 cup grated Pecorino or Romano
pepper
nutmeg

Heat oil in a stainless steel skillet on medium heat.  Add flour and whisk to combine.  It should make a smooth paste. If the flour is clumpy and dry, Add a bit of oil until it's smooth.  Whisk for a minute until the paste is a light brown.  Add milk whisking to combine.  Turn heat down to medium low and whisk the bubbly mixture until thick.  Add the cheese and combine.  Turn heat to low.  Add a pinch of pepper and nutmeg to taste.  This mixture is best used right away because it will thicken as it cools.  I just microwaved it later that night when I assembled Justin's dinner when he got home and it worked just fine.

To assemble the crepes, spread a layer of the cheese sauce on the crepe and then add the apple, bacon, onion mixture.  Wrap it up and munch away.  Sometimes breakfast for dinner is fun.  If you aren't into sweet things at dinner save this recipe for your next brunch.  I think the only thing that could have made this dinner better was a nice salad and a glass of crisp white wine.  But that's in a perfect world when my fridge isn't bare!

Kid note:  The girls dug the idea of "pancakes" for dinner but only wanted bacon on the inside.  I still haven't convinced them that mixing salt and sweet is a good thing.  The idea that apples would touch their bacon was uncool.  That's OK, they ate some leftovers and Justin and I got the crepes!