Crepes in a Cowtown - recipe featured in KANSAS! Magazine - spring 2020

Edward Hammatt and the Ortus Café were the "Taste" section feature in the Spring 2020 (vol 76, issue 1) of KANSAS! Magazine. The article describes his journey as a chef from New Orleans to Abilene, KS where he now serves sweet and savory crepes and really goo coffee in a historic building. 

The Ortus Café’s Grilled 3-Cheese Crepe 

Edward shared a home-style version of one of his everyday crepe offering at the café. He narrates the directions including his technique for creating the square or pocket fold he uses for savory crepes. 

He also pointed out that when making fillings or other savory items,  “I definitely don’t measure the seasonings, I just add ‘til it tastes good.”

Ingredients For Batter - makes four 12-inch crepes 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon salt

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted  

Vegetable oil for coating pan

Ingredients for Filling for one 12-inch crepe

1/2 cup cheddar cheese 

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of dried parsley

Pinch salt and pepper

Directions 

1.   Sift flour and salt together in a bowl.

2.   Whisk eggs, milk and melted butter together in another bowl.

3.   Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; whisk until batter is free of lumps.

4.   Heat a cast iron or non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. 

5.   Once skillet is hot, use a paper towel to carefully spread a very thin layer of vegetable oil over the surface of the pan. 

6.   Ladle some of the crepe batter into the pan (approximately 1/2 cup for a 12-inch crepe) and start to gently roll the pan around, utilizing gravity to spread the batter across the bottom of the pan. 

7.   Once the batter has solidified, you can make the choice of attempting to flip it or filling it as is. Either way the filling goes right in the center of the crepe, and you should fold the crepe immediately after filling so the steam will melt the cheese.

8.   The fold is fairly simple—as if you are just folding the crepe into a square. Take the bottom and top edges of the crepe and fold them so they meet in the center, making sure to cover the filling. Then simply take the remaining two edges and do the same thing. You should end up with a relatively square crepe with a pocket in the center full of cheese. 

9.   From that point it is just a matter of flipping it and giving it a quick “grill” to make sure all the cheese is nice and melted. Take off the heat, and serve.

Note: Edward topped the cheese crepe with an egg.

The Spring 2020 edition of KANSAS! Magazine is the first of it's 75th anniversary series and is full of the history our state. Be sure to check out the story about the second oldest literary club in Kansas —"'Self Trust' and the Abilene Ladies Literary League,"
 by Pat Ackerman.