Beef Stroganoff Crêpes with Dijon Cream
The combination of crêpes and beef stroganoff is so retro that it almost feels modern again. And honestly, I don't think the deep, luxurious flavors of stroganoff ever go out of style. I'm calling for pricey beef tenderloin here, but a little goes a long way. You could also use rib-eye, but anything less tender than that doesn't feel like stroganoff. I like to serve these crêpes with a simple side of roasted asparagus or steamed haricot verts. Makes 8 filled crêpes; serves 4 as a main course.
Ingredients
| ½ cup | 120 ml | sour cream (for the Dijon cream) |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | Dijon mustard |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | thinly sliced fresh chives |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | fresh lemon juice |
| ½ tsp | 2.5 ml | finely grated lemon zest |
| ¼ tsp | 1.3 ml | kosher salt |
| a pinch | cayenne pepper | |
| 3 tbsp | 45 ml | extra-virgin olive oil |
| 12 oz | 340 g | white button or cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced ¼ in/6 mm thick |
| to taste | kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | finely chopped onion |
| 12 oz | 340 g | beef tenderloin, cut crosswise into ⅛-in/3-mm-thick slices |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | all-purpose flour |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | tomato paste |
| 2½ cup | 600 ml | lower-sodium canned or homemade beef broth or veal stock |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Worcestershire sauce |
| ½ tsp | 2.5 ml | Dijon mustard (for the stroganoff) |
| ½ tsp | 2.5 ml | chopped fresh thyme |
| ½ cup | 120 ml | sour cream or crème fraîche |
| 8 | Versatile or Whole-Wheat Crêpes or your choice | |
| ½ cup | 120 ml | grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese |
| to taste | chopped fresh chives for garnish |
Instructions
MAKE THE DIJON CREAM
- In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, mustard, chives, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and cayenne until combined. Let the flavors marry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. (If making up to 4 hours ahead, store in the refrigerator.) If necessary, thin the sauce out with water until it's a consistency that's easy to drizzle.
MAKE THE BEEF STROGANOFF 2. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, season them lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until they're lightly browned and most of the moisture they released has evaporated, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set it aside. 3. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add another 1 tbsp of the olive oil and the onion. Reduce the heat to medium, season lightly with salt, and cook the onion until soft, fragrant, and translucent (but not browned), about 3 minutes. Transfer the onion to the bowl with the mushrooms. 4. In a small bowl, toss the beef with the flour and season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet over medium-high heat, add the beef, and sear it until lightly browned on both sides but still quite rare in the center, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. 5. Put the skillet over medium heat, add the tomato paste, and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet (you're also "toasting" the tomato paste at this point for a bit for more flavor), about 1 minute. Add the broth, adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until the broth has reduced to about 1½ cups/360 ml. Whisk in the Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and thyme, and then whisk in the sour cream. Reduce the heat to avoid a hard boil (which could cause the sour cream to curdle) and simmer gently until the sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with more salt, pepper, Worcestershire, or Dijon. 6. Return the mushrooms, onion, and beef to the sauce in the skillet. Set aside in a warm spot.
ASSEMBLE 7. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F/230°C/gas 8. Butter the bottom of a 9-x-13-in/23-x-33-cm baking dish. 8. Lay the crêpes presentation-side down on a clean work surface. Spoon about ½ cup/120 ml of the stroganoff filling horizontally across the center of each one. Roll the crêpes into fat cylinders and arrange them seam-side down in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. They should be snugged in tightly together. Sprinkle the Parmigiano cheese over the crêpes and bake until the cheese is golden brown, about 10 minutes. 9. Transfer two crêpes to each of four dinner plates and drizzle each with some of the Dijon cream. Garnish with the chives and pass the remaining Dijon cream at the table. Serve right away.