Smoked Trout Crêpes With Horseradish Crème Fraîche

Wallsé chef Kurt Gutenbrunner's savory take on a traditional Austrian breakfast crêpe makes an elegant New Year's hors d'oeuvre.

Ingredients

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
3/4 cup crème fraîche
3 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons chopped dill, plus 12 dill sprigs, for garnishing
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small Golden Delicious apple, halved lengthwise, cored, and thinly sliced
1 s moked trout fillet (7 ounces), skinned, flesh flaked into 1/2 -inch pieces
Edible flowers, for garnishing (optional)
2 tablespoons American sturgeon caviar (optional)

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with � teaspoon of salt and the sugar. Whisk in the milk and eggs until the batter is smooth. Let rest for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the horseradish and chopped dill. Season with salt and pepper.

Strain the crepe batter through a fine sieve set over a small bowl. Heat a 6-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter. When the butter stops foaming, add 2 tablespoons of batter, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly, and cook until the edges of the crepes are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Using a spatula, flip the crepe and cook until lightly colored on the second side, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adjusting the heat as necessary so that the crepes don’t burn and stacking the crepes as they’re done. You should have 12 crepes.

Spread each crepe with 1 tablespoon of the horseradish cream and top with 3 red onion slices, 2 or 3 apple slices, and 1 heaping tablespoon of trout. Roll up the crepes and transfer to plates or a platter. Garnish each crepe with edible flowers and 1/2 teaspoon of caviar, if desired, and a dill sprig, and serve.

Tips
I get a lot of my fresh produce from Berried Treasures farm in Roscoe, New York, which also happens to be a major trout fishing area. My smoked trout also comes from them.I use the American sturgeon caviar sold at Caviar Russe in Manhattan (caviarrusse.com).

Serve with
Try this dish for brunch or as a light lunch, with a big green salad.

Variations
The stuffed crepes can be sliced crosswise and served as finger food.
For traditional sweet crepes, fill the pancakes with sliced fresh fruit, jam, honey, or Nutella.

Make ahead The plain crepes can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Recipe courtesy Gutenbrunner's cookbook Neue Cuisine 

(Published 2011)