2000s Recipes + Menus

Beggars’ Purses

Crêpe Bundles with Caviar and Sour Cream

Serves8 (first course)
  • Active time:45 min
  • Start to finish:1 1/4 hr
October 2008
Chef Barry Wine's iconic dish is the bite-size beggars’ purse. We’ ve turned it into a first course and added chives and brown butter to the crêpe batter.

For crêpes:

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives

For purses:

  • 16 to 20 long chives (from 1 bunch)
  • 3/4 cup sour cream (preferably at room temperature)
  • 4 oz domestic caviar such as osetra or rainbow trout

Make crêpe batter:

  • Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and set aside 2 Tbsp for cooking crêpes. Continue to cook butter remaining in skillet until it has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
  • Blend brown butter with remaining crêpe ingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.

Blanch whole chives:

  • Blanch chives in a small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain and plunge into an ice bath. Pat dry.

Make crêpes:

  • Lightly brush skillet with butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter. With skillet off heat, add a scant 1/4 cup batter, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets too fast, reduce heat slightly.) Cook until golden around edges, 15 to 30 seconds. Loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Make more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crêpes on plate.

Assemble purses:

  • Top each crêpe, browned side up, with about 1 1/2 Tbsp sour cream and 2 teaspoon caviar. Gather crêpe around filling and tie 1 or 2 blanched chives in a knot to close purse. Trim ends of chives if necessary.
Cooks’ note: Crêpes can be made and chives blanched 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before assembling.
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