Mushroom and Chicken Crepes Topped with Tarragon Velouté

Stolen on: February 13, 2008

This week's recipe was stolen from Executive Chef Philippe Piel from ICI in Washington DC. ICI Urban Bistro is very new on the scene, having only just opened this month on 15th & H streets in Northwest Washington. ICI means "here" in French and offers a more relaxed approach to French cuisine, focusing on comfort foods. To Piel, comfort foods are the famous Breton galettes, a crepe made with a salty buckwheat batter and filled with ham, cheese and a sunny-side up egg or the leek quiche and chicken a la crème that were a staple at his family's Sunday evening suppers.

Executive Chef, Philippe Piel, is a protégé of Chef Antoine Westermann and is working to build a menu of the foods his family cooked for their Sunday dinners. ICI does a lot of family-style meals including weekly "mijote" pots, which are slow-cooked casseroles, stewed and served table side in cast iron pots. "Food is a reflection of mood, and has the power to influence mood," states Chef Piel. "It is my hope that when dining at ICI, guests feel comfortable, welcome and in-tune with fun French culture." Chef Piel is going back to his roots and presenting a menu of the authentic French comfort foods that embody his childhood.

About the chef: a native of Brittany, France, Chef Philippe Piel's resume reads like a map of exotic vacation destinations.

Drawing culinary influences from chefs such as Joel Antunes and Thomas Keller, Chef Piel describes his cuisine as "French in fundamentals, fun on the plate." Believing that "food is a display of culture," Chef Piel strives to incorporate his global influences into a menu which allows diners to access to the authentic culinary comforts of his homeland.

After a childhood glued to his grandmother's apron strings, Chef Piel enrolled in culinary school in Fougères, France and embarked on a culinary career that led him through experiences at the three Michelin star Le Buerehiesel in Strasbourg, France and six time zones.

Chef Pile began his career at Restaurant Les Voyageurs in Fougères, France before heading to England to cook at the Old Manor House Restaurant in Romsey, Hants. Over the next ten years, Chef's desire for adventure led him to experiences at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda, the Sofitel Cambodiana in the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Novotel Benoa in Bali, Indonesia and the Sofitel Santa Clara in Colombia. Before heading to Washington, D.C. to open Café 15 in the Sofitel Lafayette Square, Chef Piel returned to his native France to cook under Chef Antoine Westermann at the three Michelin star Le Buerehiesel.

ICI is located in the Sofitel Hotel
Lafayette Square
806 15th St
Washington, DC 20005
202730 8700
www.sofitel.com

	Mushroom and Chicken Crepes Topped with Tarragon Velouté
	ICI
	Mushroom and Chicken Crepes Topped with Tarragon Velouté are served at Ici for $10.00. This recipe makes four large restaurant servings. Mushroom and Chicken Crepes Topped with Tarragon Velouté Ingredients: 12 x 6 inch crepes 2 cups assorted mushrooms 1 ea shallots, diced 1 ea chicken breast, roasted, diced 1 tbsp butter 1 cup béchamel sauce 1 tbsp parsley chopped 1 tbsp tarragon chopped Salt & pepper to taste Crepe Dough 12 oz all purpose flour 6 ea eggs 1 pinch salt 1 qt whole milk 4 oz butter melted Béchamel Sauce 1 ½ oz melted butter 1 ½ oz cooking oil 2 cups milk Salt, pepper and nutmeg ground Velouté Sauce 2 ea shallots 1/2 cup white wine 1 cup heavy cream 1tbsp veal stock 1 tbsp tarragon Seasoning to taste Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions: For the crepe dough, mix the flour, salt and egg together adding the milk bit by bit until you get a smooth mixture. Add the melted butter and rest in the fridge for 2 hrs before using. Add a bit of water if too thick. When ready cook some crepe in an 8 in non stick pan on both sides. Reserve. For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a pot. Add the flour and mix well. Cook for few minutes without color. Add the milk and bring to a boil gently, mixing well. Season to taste and reserve. For the mix, roast a chicken breast. Sautéed the seasonal mushrooms together with chopped shallots and herbs in butter. When warmed dice the chicken in small cubes. Mix chicken, mushrooms and some béchamel to bind everything together. Fill some crepes that you are going to fold in 3 and then in 2 to get nice purse. For the sauce, sauté the shallots in butter. Deglaze with white wine, reduced, add cream, reduce, and add veal stock. Finish with herbs and seasoning until you get a smooth sauce. Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions for Plating: Heat a pan, sautéed the crepe gently with butter on both sides. Finish in the oven for few minutes. Sautéed some mushrooms on the side with shallots and herbs in butter. Display the crepes on top of each other, topped with mushrooms then the sauce. The following nutritional analysis is calculated for an approximate 6 oz at-home serving. Nutrient Name Amount per Serving % Daily Value Calories 300 Calories from Fat 170 Total Fat 20g 31% Saturated Fat 10g 50% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 120mg 40% Sodium 140mg 6% Total Carbohydrates 20g 7% Dietary Fiber < 1g 3% Sugars 5g Protein 11g Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 10% Iron 8% Nutritional information for the recipe provided by CookedApple.com. The nutritional information supplied is to be used as a guideline only and will vary depending on the amount and variety of each ingredient used. For more recipes, go to www.supermarketguru.com