When I think of National Spinach Day, my mind almost immediately thinks Florentine. Florentine anything — chicken, Omelettes, soups and so forth. When you look up the word Florentine, as an adjective it means Relating to Florence or a Food served or prepared on a bed of spinach.
So I guess that explains why when I hear Spinach I think Florentine. When I think about Chicken Florentine, my heart skips a beat. It makes me wish to go back in time. While the events surrounding the memory are a bit unsettling, the memory itself is warm.
My brother wasn’t much of a health nut. That was Mom’s fault. She would actually let him have Chocolate Cake for dinner while the rest of us ate whatever was served. As the only boy, he was spoiled beyond spoiled. As a man he refused to eat vegetables or anything that even hinted as good for you. His poor eating habits were only one of the many reasons Brother Dear is no longer with us.
During his second open heart surgery, my sisters and I frequented a little café not far from the hospital that served nothing but Crêpes. There were savory crêpes, sweet crêpes, breakfast crêpes and crêpes perfect for a light lunch. My sister Linda, always the health guru in the bunch, loved the all vegetable crêpe with a nice, healthy kale salad. Our middle sister, Ann, tried to find something, and complained a lot – she would have preferred a greasy spoon diner with a Down-home menu. As for me, Crêpes of any kind were a treat. I loved the Beef Stroganoff Crêpes and especially the Chicken Florentine Crêpes. Having lunch with my sisters was priceless. Ann has since joined Brother Dear. As for Linda, we live in two completely different worlds today, as divided as our country. She is a liberal, and I am a conservative. She considers herself to be spiritual and is very much into yoga and meditation. I would rather she viewed yoga as a form of physical exercise and meditate on the Word of God instead. One of us is right – and we really won’t know who until this earthly journey comes to an end. Would I like to see Linda come to Jesus? Sure. But I can still love her just the way she is without reservation. I am not sure she can do the same.
What I can do is make Chicken Florentine Crêpes for my guys and hold that memory of my beautiful sisters together in my heart.
Chicken Florentine Crêpes with Mushrooms
Crêpe Batter
2 tablespoons Butter
1 cup Flour
1-1/3 cup Milk
1/2 teaspoon Salt
In a small, microwave-proof bowl, melt butter. Set aside to allow butter to cool to the touch. In another bowl, beat eggs. Pour eggs in a blender. Add butter, flour, milk and salt. Beat until smooth.
Pour batter through a sieve set over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate batter for an hour to allow the gluten to rest.
Note: Batter may rest up to 1 day before becoming Crêpes
Using a small, heavy bottom stainless steel pan (or a crêpe pan), slowly heat pan until reaching medium to medium-high.
Note: Different pans will heat differently – it may be necessary to make adjustments after the first crêpe is cooked. The pan must be hot enough that the crêpe won’t stick, but not too hot that it burn
Lightly coat pan with a little butter for the first crêpe. The best way to do this is to unwrap one end of a stick of butter, swirl stick in the bottom and up the sides. A LIGHT coating of butter is all you need.
Depending upon pan size add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup batter to the bottom of the pan.
Note: A 6-inch pan will take about 1/4 cup, an 8-inch pan no more than 1/2 cup.
Tilt and swirl pan to coat bottom with batter. Cook crêpe for about 2 minutes or until lightly brown and dry – the surface will no longer appear shiny and the edges just beginning to brown. Carefully flip crêpe to cook the other side for about a minute. Don’t worry if the first crêpe is buttery and a little crisp – consider this your test crêpe and adjust time and temperature accordingly.
Don’t worry if the crêpe isn’t perfect. Sometimes my first two or three are a little “off” – they might not be the prettiest crêpes around, but they taste just fine.
Continue to cook each crêpe, buttering the pan with a quick swipe after about 4 crêpes.
Chicken Florentine Filling
4 tablespoons Butter
1 large boneless Chicken Breast
8 oz Brown Mushrooms
3/4 cup Spinach
2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a casserole dish and set aside.
Chop the chicken into small, bite size pieces, set aside. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When ready cook the chicken in the skillet until cooked through, about 7 minutes. While the chicken cooks, clean and thinly slice mushrooms. Add mushroom slices to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until mushrooms have released their liquids.
Add the spinach and cook for a further 2 minutes. Once the spinach leaves have begun to wilt add the cream Parmesan cheese and half of the Mozzarella. Stir until the cheese has melted then remove from the heat. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Place the crepes on a large, clean work surface; divide the mixture equally among the crepes. Gently roll up like a tight burrito; place in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining half of the Mozzarella cheese Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Finishing Touches
3 Green Onions
2 Roma Tomatoes
4 Egg Yolks
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Splash Lemon Juice
12 tablespoons Butter
Fill a thermos with boiling water and set aside. Snip green onions. Seed and dice tomatoes, set aside.
Separate the egg whites from yolks. Place yolks in a blender, reserve whites for another purpose. To the blender add the cayenne pepper and lemon juice. Pulse for a few seconds to lightly whip.
Cut butter into smaller pieces, place in a 4-cup measuring cup. Melt butter in the microwave.
With the blender running, slowly pour the butter into the blender until it has emulsified and created a thick, silk Hollandaise Sauce.
Empty the thermos of water, pour sauce in to keep it warm.
To Serve:
Plate Crêpes. Ladle Hollandaise sauce over the Crêpes. Garnish with a sprinkling of green onions and tomatoes.
There is bound to be some Hollandaise Sauce remaining. Serve these Crêpes with pan-seared Asparagus and put that sauce to good use
Seek strength from the Lord and remember His deeds.
He, the God of Abraham and Jacob, upholds justice.
His covenant, promised to generations, remains a testament
To His enduring faithfulness.
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