In Remembrance of Crepes Past

A few weeks ago, my roommate Jenn and I started talking about how awesome it would be to make crepes. This got me thinking about my time in Paris as a study abroad student in college.    There was nothing like the warmth of a Nutella banana crepe to ward off the damp cold of a Parisian winter. While my first Parisian crepes were sweet ones, a friend and I eventually discovered Au P'tit Grec. At this delicious crepe place located in the Latin Quarter we would fork over three to four Euros for crepes filled with savory ingredients.

I'm a creature of habit when it comes to food. When I try something I like, I will order it over and over. At Au P'tit Grec, it was the chevre chorizo crepe containing goat cheese and chorizo sausage. When Jenn and I started talking about making crepes, I remembered Au P'tit Grec and could practically taste my preferred crepe. The only problem was that even though I'd ordered it many times and had a memory of how it looked and tasted, I didn't initially recall the name of the type of sausage that they had used. 

All I can say is, thank goodness for Google. I Googled "Au P'tit Grec Paris" and a bunch of different food review websites came up. Then searched the phrase "Au P'tit Grec menu" but didn't get much further. Finally, I switched to an image search and found a picture of the menu here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/weggenrode/310279371/ Scanning down the list of savory crepes, I saw "chevre chorizo" and knew that this was the one I wanted to recreate. I knew I could easily get goat's cheese but where would I find the thinly sliced chorizo that I craved? 

It was on an impromptu trip to Trader Joe's that I found a pack of meats that, in addition to salami and prosciutto, contained the coveted chorizo. It looked exactly like the meat I had seen added to the crepes at Au P'tit Grec six years earlier. 

Last Sunday afternoon, we actually made crepes. I put the cheese and chorizo on top of one and folded it over. It was the moment of truth. I cut off a piece and popped it into my mouth. It tasted exactly how I had remembered it and just as delicious. The cheese was smooth and the chorizo added just the right amount of spiciness. 

It may seem strange to put all that thought and effort into recreating a crepe but to me it was well worth it. I suggest this combination of ingredients and if you're ever in Paris, do yourself and your pocketbook a favor and check out Au P'tit Grec. Not only are the crepes delicious and huge but they are also very affordable. It's quick meal to grab while out sightseeing in one of the greatest cities in the world.  

I'm going to end with a quick recap of other cooking I've done recently. Last weekend, I made chocolate chip pumpkin muffins for a party. I used this recipe but just spooned the batter into muffin pans instead of using a loaf pan:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Chip-Pumpkin-Bread-2. When I found myself with some ingredients I wanted to use up, I was presented with the opportunity to make this delicious squash gratin: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/baked-squash-gratin-recipe/index.html. I'll leave you with pictures of these two culinary efforts. I'm assuming you can guess which one is which!