Three Cheese Manicotti Crepes

I know, "manicotti crepe?" So why shouldn't I just use traditional pasta for this? Trust me, these pasta-like crepes are much faster and easier to fill than their cooked pasta alternative, as you simply plop the filling onto the crepe and roll it up! Also you can make the crepes several days ahead of time and just fill when you're ready to bake them. The addition of half a cup of whole wheat flour gives them a slightly nutty taste and more body, but you can substitute all purpose flour if you prefer a lighter crepe. If you're accustomed to the taste of whole wheat flour, you can make these successfully using a combination of  3/4 cup whole wheat, plus 3/4 cup of the all purpose flour, as there are three eggs in the mixture to give rise to the crepes and prevent them from becoming too dense as you cook them.

These crepes should be made a bit thicker than a traditional French crepe.
Three Cheese Manicotti Crepes

Serves 6 - I want to thank Sue Ann Bunt for inspiring me to create this recipe :)

 For "pasta crepes":

* 1cup all-purpose flour

* 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

* 1 cup half & half (milk works fine here too)

* 3 eggs

* a pinch of  salt

* olive oil

For filling:

* 1-1/2 pounds ricotta cheese

* 1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese

* 1 egg

* 2-3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

* salt & pepper to taste

* 1 quart of  your favorite pasta sauce ( I love these w/ tomato-basil, cream sauce)

* Asiago cheese curls* (grated Fontinella,  or Romano can be substituted)

In a medium bowl, whisk the cream (or milk), eggs and salt until thoroughly combined.

Heat a 6 to 8-in. skillet or crepe pan, lightly drizzled with olive oil -to medium.

Pour about 2 tablespoons batter into center of pan; immediately swirl or spread batter into a small circle to partially coat the bottom of pan (about 5 inch diameter).

Cook over medium heat until just firm, and ever so slightly golden, being careful NOT to brown (do not flip).

Slide crepes out onto wire rack or waxed paper.

Repeat with remaining batter. If  your short on counter space; stack cooled crepes with waxed paper between each one.

Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a 13 x 9 inch baking dish by drizzling lightly with olive oil, smearing it to coat the bottom.

Evenly distribute half of the desired pasta sauce into baking dish. Set the dish near your work surface.

In a large bowl, stir together Ricotta and Romano cheese, egg, parsley, salt and pepper until evenly combined.

Spoon about 3 generous tablespoons of the filling across each crepe, and gently roll up, placing crepes seam side down, into prepared baking dish.

Spoon remaining sauce over top.

Cover with foil making a couple of slits in top to vent.

Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more or until heated through.

Garnish with snips of  fresh basil. Scatter cheese curls or grated cheese over top and serve.

* Tip:

- The crepes can be made ahead and refrigerated, stored in a Ziploc bag with a layer of waxed paper between each one for a few days. When ready; simply fill them, roll up and bake.

-  For cheese curls, slowly drag a vegetable peeler against the long edge of cheese.