The first time I made this dish, and for the life of me I can’t remember where I found the recipe (it was about 40 years ago, after all) I was very dubious about pouring a full 8 ounces of tomato sauce over such a small pan of crepes. But not being the culinary aficionado that I am today, I followed the instructions exactly as written. (Sometimes it’s just best to bite the bullet and follow someone else’s directions to the tee.) And this is one time that I am so glad that I did. The amount of tomato sauce was absolutely perfect for the number of crepes. And since I first made this dish for my family lo those many years ago, I have not changed a thing. No crushed red pepper flakes, no brilliant trilogy of green, red, and yellow peppers, no shallots or garlic or white wine – no nothing. (Oh OK, I do use a better quality tomato sauce than was available when I first started making the dish, but I swear, that is my only concession to modern haute cuisine!)

And for those of you who have never made a crepe, be not afraid. In my humble opinion crepes are easier to make than pancakes. With 3 eggs in the batter, the crepe ingredients stick together like eggs stick to anything. (think scrambled eggs in a non-stick frying pan) So taking baked crepes off a crepe pan or griddle is a snap. And even if the worse thing happens and a crepe breaks while you are removing it from the pan, just fit it back together, fill it with the bacon mixture, cover it with tomato sauce, and no one will be the wiser! (Bob’s your uncle, so to speak!)

And since I know most of you were cut with the same cookie cutter as I was (love to cook, love to experiment, and would normally never follow a recipe exactly as written), I’m going to ask you to cross over to the dark side and follow this recipe exactly. Not kinda/sorta, but exactly. I promise you will not be sorry. This dish is just unbelievably good and truly, it could not be simpler to prepare.

After you have mastered the art of crepe making, serve them someday to your loved ones for breakfast. Place a crepe on a plate, cover with fresh strawberries or a combination of fresh berries, roll and dollop with a small helping of homemade whipped cream and a light sprinkle of powdered sugar. There is just nothing that says I love you better than a fresh berry crepe for breakfast. Just don’t make the same mistake I did one Sunday morning when I was feeding my niece and nephews (and of course my own 3 youngest kids). I decided to make crepes for the 6 teenagers. First of all, feeding more than 3 teenagers at one time is crazy to begin with. But making crepes for 6 kids aging roughly from 13 to 18 was positively asking for a beating. After 2 full hours of baking and filling crepes for my 6 darlings (Sven, Rolfe, Paula, Eric, Ursala, and Mya) who were still asking for more by-the-way, I threw up my hands and surrendered. The last thing I remember about that morning is staggering off to my bedroom for a nap mumbling something about the positive advantages of birth control or words to that effect!

• Crepes:
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2/3 c. flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 c. milk
• Filling:
• 6 slices bacon, diced
• ½ c. chopped onion
• ½ c. chopped green pepper
• ½ c. thinly sliced mushrooms
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley

Crepes: Combine all crepe ingredients in a blender or food processor. Whirl until blended. Pour about 3 tablespoons batter onto lightly greased pan for each crepe. Bake on 1 side only. Continue making crepes until all the batter is used. Filling: Sauté bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Pour off as much bacon grease as possible from the pan. Add onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. Cook until the onion is tender. Take pan off heat and add the cooked bacon and cheese. Fill the crepes with mixture, roll and place in a buttered baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce over the crepes.

Bake for 15 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Yield: 6 crepes. Wonderful served with green salad and a lovely crisp Semillon.