French Sushi

Hi guys!

Remember that time I started a blog, then failed to update it for...oh say, a year or so? As it turns out I have been Mastering (aha ahaha ahahaha I'm so funny) a whole lot of science since I posted last. I'm now nearing the end of my Masters and am successfully wasting time writing a thesis among many other time wasting things I find essential like watching Chuck, and desperately looking for news on The Hobbit production. Turns out I also have a penchant for, what I will call on this public access blog, choreography-based fitness and acrobatics so much so that when I'm not in the lab I am at the studio teaching students to fling themselves wildly around the studio equipment. Which means that when I am home between my two jobs, I am putting in time with the man who is my fiance-but-will-soon-cross-into-husband. So here I am, attempting to update my blog in a bid to not make it look so sad.

When I told my fella what I would blog about he said "Does that even count as a recipe?" To which I reply yes. Yes it does. No, this recipe doesn't call for long periods of simmering or careful addition of ingredients in just the right order but it's easy to make and terribly tasty so I say who cares!

Due to Andrew's rampant seafood allergy and my rampant seafood dislike, sushi is not really an option. But it's so terribly trendy looking, and you know what's like seaweed paper? Crepes. And you know what's like fish? Ham. It's a bit of a stretch but just hang in there with me, ok?


What you need
Crepes (from Canadian Living)
1 1/3c. flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/2c. milk
1/4c. melted butter

Filling
deli ham
mozzarella
asparagus

Putting it all together
Make the crepe batter by mixing the flour and salt in one bowl and 2 tbsp of the butter with the milk and eggs in a second bowl. Combine the two and strain (if you feel fancy) then let sit in the fridge for 1h. This way you get rid of a lot of the bubbles you just mixed in and you end up with a heavy, delicious batter.

Get yourself a crepe pan or any large-ish pan with a flat bottom and non-stick coating set to medium heat. Brush the pan with the exrta butter and pour in just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan thinly. Let it cook until the edges are golden brown and the middle is set. Flip the crepe and cook on the other side for about 30sec. I hear some people don't even cook the other side, but I just do...for funsies. The crepes can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready for assembly.

In a pot of boiling water, cook the asparagus for about 4-6min depending on how crunchy you like them to be. Once cooked, immediately put them in ice water to cool so they keep their color and texture. This is called blanching. Also grate some cheese. I used mozza but really with so many cheeses to choose from, just go nuts!

To assemble, lay out a crepe and layer in 2-3 slices of ham. Sprinkle with cheese and add 3-4 stalks of asparagus. Roll up the crepe and sprinkle with extra cheese. Then pop it in an oven (at lets say 350F but who really cares?) until the cheese on top is melted and the crepe is crispy.

Then feel free to slice and pretend you're eating the best french sushi of your life!