Orange Food - Recipe Redux Challenge October 2012

If I am lucky when I click on our local PBS channel I can watch the French Chef.
I was lucky this weekend. Whenever they are running a donation day, I can almost guarantee that The French Chef Video Series is one of the gifts.

On the menu this week was crepes, which I was going to turn into manicotti and fazzoletto (handkerchiefs). The more I thought about it, the more I started to lean towards a crepe cake, but when I saw Julia making stacked omelets, it hit me. I would make an egg omelet crepe cake. Instead of French-style thin and light crepes, I made these with more eggs than usual and less flour so they cooked like a thin egg omelet.

The Recipe Redux challenge this month was to make a dish with "orange" food. Seems this time of year every food blog and magazine is featuring the foods of fall. I wanted to use them in a way I have never seen done before so since I had a half recipe of tofu ricotta still in my fridge, a container of roasted squash, I knew exactly what I was going to do with them. This is not a recipe written in stone, so use the ricotta of your choice but I highly recommend using a squash (orange of course) that has been roasted to sweet perfection.

Easy as can be, it's great for dinner or a leisurely Sunday Brunch. Can be made ahead and heated right before serving. I decided to serve a light Provolone bechamela as the sauce. I also had a few slices of baked ham hanging around.
This was going to be good. Simply decadent but actually not all that bad for you.

I used a 6" spring form pan as the baking pan of choice to keep it all nice and neat and to also cut the omelet to the exact size to fit into the pan, that when ready, goes right into the oven. You can make this free form but the filling may ooze out a bit.

 This cake will be perfect for four dinner servings or six for brunch.

All the components (steps) can be made ahead and then built right before baking or if you have the room, make the whole cake ahead. Will keep in the fridge for 3 days covered tightly.
I thought 4 layers would be the perfect amount but you can make as many as you want. You could even make a large cake using a 9" spring form pan and a large skillet.
I would say the larger version would feed 10-12.

Omelet Mixture
makes 4-5 (6") omelets

• 3 eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup low fat milk or buttermilk
• salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon flour (for stability)

Blend well but a few small lumps are OK. It should be the consistency of heavy cream. Pour a little more than 1/4 cup mixture into a 9" non-stick frying pan sprayed with a release agent. Swirl the mix around the inside of the pan, trying not to go up the sides too high. Once it cooks and only a small spot is wet, flip it over to cook the other side.  Try not to get any color on them. Place a strip of wax paper between each crepe.

Omelet Filling
makes 3/4 cup

• 1 cup cubed butternut squash
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• olive oil
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, tofu or milk
• salt & pepper
• 4 slices of baked ham
• Grated sharp provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. Meanwhile cut squash into 1" cubes or buy a package cubed.
Mix squash, garlic and shallot with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove and cool.
Peel garlic and mash with the squash and shallot.Place ham and provolone to the side for assembly.

Assembly
makes 1 (6") omelet cake

1. Place one crepe on the bottom of the pan that has been buttered or sprayed with a butter flavored release agent.
2. Spoon 1/4 of the squash mixture on the crepe, place two pieces of ham on the squash and about a tablespoon of grated provolone cheese. Give it a few grinds of fresh black pepper and place another crepe on top. Using your fingers, press gently to even the filling.
3. Repeat with another layer of filling without the ham and just the cheese. Add another crepe and a layer with the ham & cheese. You should have one layer with ham, one without, another with and the last one without.
4. Place the last crepe on the top with the best looking side facing up. Top with grated cheese and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate till ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 350°. Place spring form pan on a sheet pan and bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese starts to brown, about 5-8 minutes.

Provola Bechamela
makes about 1 1/2 cups

• 1 1/2 cups low fat or skim milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup grated provolone cheese

Melt butter in saucepan and add flour. Whisk to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk and continue whisking until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Stir till it melts. Reserve.

Once the cake has rested for 10 minutes, run a knife around to separate the cake from the sides of the pan.
Place pan on an upside down cup, release the spring and push the form down. Heat the sauce.
Spoon the sauce over a wedge and sprinkle with extra cheese if desired and some chives or parsley for color.



A few slices of tomato on the side would be nice or a slice of Italian bread, even better.
This concept can be adapted to include many other fillings. All those small containers of leftovers were made for this Omelet Cake.
Have fun. Use a cookie cutter the size of ramekins or a Texas muffin pan to make individual cakes.

The omelet cake was surprisingly tasty, savory and very filling. The sauce was exceptional, much better than I expected and The Nudge gave me permission to make this again. I give you permission to make this often.