Savory Mushroom Chicken Crepes

Simplicity. The more I discover about food photography and what catches my eye, the more I appreciate simplicity.  While I adore gorgeous images of beautifully set tables and of course, of attractively styled food, I truly love the shots that catch the pure beauty of the ingredient itself.

Seemingly fairly easy to take a pictures of a vegetable or a piece of fruit, my last Food Photography Challenge truly caused me to stretch myself with an assignment to shoot a vegetable raw and then prepared.  For my final submission I chose scallions fresh from my Dad's garden - dirt still clinging to the tender, fragrant roots and then our favorite Scallion Biscuits.  Taking less than 10 shots to capture my favorite image, it was the simplicity of the scene that, in my opinion, brought balance to the photo.

Unstyled (the scallions were simply place on a cutting board), natural, and raw, taking such a shot is not always as easy as I thought.  (From our Photo Challenge Group, also see Stacey Siegal's stunning shot of Romanesco, magazine worthy indeed).

The weeks prior to the challenge had me shooting sweet potatoes, grilled onions and fungus... the every popular mushroom.  Taking over 200 mushroom shots, I only found a few achieving the simplicity I was looking for.  The savory crepes created from the mushrooms, though, were a delicious treat that I eagerly polished off after finishing their photos.

A Cooking Light recipe from one of my "go-to" books, Cooking Light Chicken, I used my new favorite crepe recipe from Alton Brown to wrap the creamy goodies, creating a wonderful light lunch.  The tender mushrooms sauteed in chicken broth and white wine, if desired, are mixed with onion and chicken and then lightly "creamed" with a touch of cremé fraîche.  Simple, tasty, and a nice change from the sweet crepe we are used to, these savory wraps have made it to our dinner rotation.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Crepes

adapted from Cooking Light, from Cooking Light Chicken

1 batch savory crepes (We like Alton Brown's Savory Version)

1 teaspoon butter 

1 cup vertically sliced onion 

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups thinly sliced baby portobello mushroom caps (about 6 ounces) 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup dry white wine 

3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1/4 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)

2 cups left over chopped chicken

Thyme sprigs (optional)

 

Directions from Cooking Light:  

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Add wine, and cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Add broth and fresh thyme; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add crème fraîche, stirring until well blended. Add chicken, tossing to coat.

 

Place 1 crepe on each of 6 plates. Spoon about 1/3 cup mushroom mixture into center of each crepe; roll up. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired. Serve immediately.