Crepes Are Good—Breaded, Fried Crepes Are Better

I do not believe that you can go wrong with crepes. I’ve always loved the tender and lacy sort, filled with bananas and Nutella, and I’ve been tempted to try this sourdough version with jam (or smoked salmon). But lately, the brașovence from Irina Georgescu’s Carpathia: Food From the Heart of Romania are all I desire. These crispy, golden brown crepes get slathered with an aromatic mushroom spread, then rolled and dredged in breadcrumbs and pan-fried until crisp.

Carpathia: Food From the Heart of Romania

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Great brașovence, Georgescu explains, are beautifully crunchy on the outside and a little juicy on the inside, offering the perfect contrast of textures in every mouthful. I love how the delicate, buttery envelopes of crepe crisp up, encasing the almost meaty mushroom and onion filling. A dollop of tangy sour cream or yogurt served alongside helps to refresh your palate between each bite.

“We have a great love for pancakes in Romania, and they are often developed into sophisticated, comforting dishes,” Georgescu says. This version, she notes, is named for the town of Brașov, which she says is one of the most beautiful cities of Transylvania.

To make the brașovence, you’ll start with the crepes. Combine flour, eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl—be careful to not overmix—and chill the batter for an hour before cooking the crepes in a large nonstick skillet. Stack the cooked crepes on a plate and let them cool while you make the mushroom filling. Once the mixture of onions and mushrooms cooks down and the flavors meld, you’ll transfer it to a food processor and pulse until it becomes a coarse paste. (You can also make the filling up to a day ahead. Just store it in an airtight container in your fridge.)

Now it’s time to fill, roll, and coat the crepes. Spread a couple teaspoons of the mushroom paste onto one crepe, then fold the bottom of the crepe up, fold the sides in toward the middle, and roll up from the bottom. This method keeps the filling locked in and “makes the pancakes easier to coat in breadcrumbs,” Georgescu says. Prep your dredging station by placing the eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes, then dip the rolled crepes into each dish and place them straight into a hot frying pan with a little bit of oil.

If you don’t have mushrooms, or don’t feel like frying, Georgescu says you can still make brașovence. “There is another version of this traditional recipe that’s filled with minced pork or shredded chicken, and the breaded pancakes get surrounded by a garlicky tomato sauce and baked in the oven for 15 minutes,” she says. “This is a versatile dish,” she notes, saying she’s also made versions filled with seasonal vegetables and dill-inflected ricotta cheese.

Regardless of the filling you choose, there’s nothing better than eating the crispy crepes minutes out of the pan. (Just make sure they’re cool enough not to burn your tongue.) It’s my current M.O. to make brașovence for a leisurely breakfast and save the leftovers to snack on throughout the day. “There is something soothing and welcoming about fried food,” says Georgescu, and couldn’t we all use a little of that?

Braşovence (Breaded Crepes With Mushroom Filling)

Originally Appeared on Epicurious