Savory Crepe Cake

I must be doing a lot of browsing on the Smitten Kitchen site these days...I've noticed more of her recipes popping up here and there. When you see the pictures she takes, you'll understand why - she makes everything look so delicious! I often have  "I've gotta try this one" moment.


I adapted her recipe for Mushroom Crepe Cake, which she adapted from Alton Brown at the Food Network. I'll call my version the "Savory Crepe Cake" because I added more vegetables. I have to say, I was really pleased. The only down side? There weren't enough leftovers!


Ingredients
1 onion, small diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced, white and light green parts only
1 bundle asparagus
2 lb. baby portabella mushrooms, small diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh chives, minced
6 tbsp. butter
1 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. flour
Salt and pepper
*Crepes


Directions
1. *Prepare crepes with any basic recipe and set aside. My roommate is the Crepe-master in this apartment, so I asked her to whip some up, and she was gracious enough to do so. I used about 12 10" crepes.
2. Place asparagus in a single layer in a medium skillet. Add water until just covered and salt.
3. Bring water to a simmer and cook until asparagus is just softened. Discard water, place asparagus in an ice bath (a bowl of ice cold water) and set aside. This ensures the asparagus will keep its bright green color.

4. While the asparagus cooks, dice the onion, leeks and mushrooms. Mince the garlic.
5. Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a large skillet. Add onions, salt them and saute until translucent.
6. Add leeks and saute for a few more minutes.

7. Meanwhile, remove the asparagus from its ice bath and dice it into small pieces. Add it to the skillet, along with the mushrooms, garlic, salt and three more tbsp. of butter.

8. Saute until all the vegetables are softened.
9. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and set aside.
10. Add the milk and flour to the vegetable mixture and stir until well-combined and flour is dissolved.
10. Taste for quality assurance and add salt and pepper as needed.
11. Now, assemble the cake.
12. Place two crepes on a serving dish.
*Note: use two for the bottom layer to ensure that no holes form.
13. Spoon a thin layer of the vegetable mixture onto the crepe, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around the sides. Add some cheese and fresh chives.
*Note: you will not need to put a lot of the mixture between each layer. It may even seem that you are not putting enough. Just remember that not every inch has to be covered, because there will be so many layers. Putting too much will result in either 1) running out of filling, or 2) having a mound-looking cake that doesn't lay flat.
14. Repeat steps 12 and 13, using only one crepe at a time. Repeat until all of the crepes have been used.

15. Top with one final crepe. Serve immediately!