Spinach Crêpe Cake with Herbed Ricotta and Mushrooms

From Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen, Deborah Madison, Broadway Books, 2005.

There are three distinct sections to this recipe: the crêpes, the filling, the mushrooms.

The crêpes: This was a simple crêpe mixture of milk, eggs and melted butter beaten together. The spinach was added to this. I used frozen spinach because after trying four different shops for fresh I gave up. It was odd to find such a scarcity of spinach. It was defrosted and the juice squeezed out of it as much as possible and it was chopped. Flour was then added together with some chopped marjoram. It then went in the fridge for half an hour.

The filling All that had to be done for the filling was to mix together ricotta, Parmesan cheese, chopped herbs (parsley and marjoram), chopped spring onion and a little salt.

The crêpes were cooked. The dish was then put together by laying out a crêpe, then some filling, another crêpe, more filling, and one last crêpe. It was put in a warm oven to heat through while the mushrooms were being prepared.

The mushrooms Some chopped spring onions were cooked in a little butter and olive oil. Then the sliced mushrooms (a mixed lot) were added to the pan and the heat turned up. Salt and pepper was added. Mushrooms always seem to need a dose of salt. When they were ready, white wine was added and the cooking continued until it had reduced. Chopped parsley was added and some cream to make a sauce.

To serve, a crêpe cake was placed on the plate and the mushroom mixture spooned over it.

This was a pleasing dish. The crêpes looked attractive with their green spinach flecks and the mushrooms with their sauce oozing over were welcoming the diner. The ricotta filling was a perfect complement to the rich savouriness of the mushrooms.

Again, this book has proved itself with a recipe that is well worth making.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔