Rye and Pear Crepes

I have really tried to snap a good pic of these delicious crepes but something always goes wrong.  Believe me I have made them several times.  They are just that good.

Gotta run!  Off to bake Christmas cookies!

Rye Crepes With Sautéed Pears

Recipe adapted from PBS- Kitchen Vignettes.  I have made these both with sautéed pears or apples.  Both delicious. 

3/4 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cup rye flour
1 3/4 cups milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:
4 tablespoons butter for cooking
8 oz grated smoked Gouda
6 medium large pears, sliced thinly with skins on

Sift together the rye and unbleached white flours. In a large bowl, add the salt, the flours and whisk together well. Crack the eggs into the flour and add a bit of the milk. Begin to stir the mixture with a whisk or a wooden spoon. It will be hard at first, but stir well, gradually adding the milk in small increments and mixing between each addition. The batter will become smoother and smoother. If you add the milk too quickly, you will have lumps in your batter (which you can always strain out).

When the batter is completely smooth and mixed, cover it and let it stand for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 60 minutes. You can even make the batter a day in advance and let it rest in the fridge.  Add the melted butter into the batter when you are ready to make the crepes.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat.  Once your pan has heated up (about 3 minutes), place a teaspoon in the pan and swirl it around to cover the bottom of the skillet. It should sizzle a little.

Ladle in about 1/4 cup of batter and quickly swirl the batter around to cover the whole bottom of the pan. Once the top of the crepe has cooked (no longer liquid), check to see if the bottom is browning. Once it has browned a bit, you can carefully loosen the crepe using a spatula, and flip it over.

If the pears you're using are nice and juicy, you don't need to pre-cook them. However, if your pears are on the dry side, sauté them lightly in a small skillet on medium heat in 1 Tbsp. butter. Cook them just until their juices are released and they have softened somewhat (about 3 minutes).

To assemble, place a cooked crepe in the crepe skillet and scatter some smoked Gouda cheese down the center of the crepe. Add a generous amount of sliced pears, and fold each side of the crepe towards the center. Allow the crepe to cook a bit more until the Gouda in the middle has melted.