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.
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.
