Gluten Free Chestnut Crepes Stuffed with Shrimp and Creamy Blue Cheese

I was introduced to Lauren Kelly's gluten-free cookbook - The Everything Wheat-Free Diet Cookbook a few weeks ago. This book will show you how to substitute common foods (and uncommon foods) with those that are wheat-free. Lauren shares thrilling recipes from around the world that prove you can give up the gluten without giving up the flavor. For sufferers of celiac disease, the necessary diet limitations can seem like a culinary curse. With the right information and a great cookbook, you can still eat most of the foods you love while maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet. This recipe book will inspire you, but it also has pages full of invaluable information for those on a gluten-free journey. I highly recommend this book.

I was inspired immediately after I read Lauren's book to make her Chestnut Crepes with a savory twist. 

Yield: 6

Chestnut Crepes:

2 large room temperature eggs 

1 cup milk

 1/2 cup chestnut flour 

1/2 cup rice flour

2 tablespoons salted melted butter

Whisk all the ingredients until smooth. Heat a well buttered 11" by 11" round skillet on medium heat. When hot, pour in half a cup of the batter and tilt the skillet with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Keep crepes warm while you prepare the filling.

Stuffing:

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 

2 tablespoons butter 

4 large fresh garlic cloves, crushed 

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

1/4 cup dry white wine 

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup blue cheese 

Black pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet and add butter. When hot, add garlic, pepper f lakes, fresh herbs f or a minute to combine. Add wine, cream, and cheese to melt, followed by shrimp. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until it's done. Season to taste with black pepper. Fold empty crepe over to form a half circle. Spoon a tablespoon of the stuffing into one half . Fold it over, this time to form a triangular shape (refer to picture). Drizzle some of the sauce over the top. 

Serve warm.

Gluten Free Creamy Blue Cheese Sweet Potato Lasagna

1 box gluten-free lasagna sheets

1 cup Italian cheese blend

1 large baked white sweet potato, skin off

1 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F

Blend sweet potato, blue cheese crumbles, mascarpone cheese, and olive oil until smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Divide mixture in half. Set one half aside.

Boil lasagna noodles according to instructions on the box.  Drain noodles and separate them apart until they are cool enough to handle (this will prevent them sticking together).

Divide one half of the filling evenly amongst lasagna sheets. Roll up to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

On a large baking dish, arrange rolls in a single layer. Spread the other half of the filling over the top. Sprinkle with Italian cheese blend. Bake for 30 minutes to 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken Roulade with Apple Chorizo Stuffing

2 large chicken breasts

1 cup organic ground chorizo

1 large Granny Smith apple, remove core, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup chopped red cabbage

1 small white onion, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped finely

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Chicken:

Using a clean work surface, butterfly both chicken breasts. Use any instructional video online if you are not familiar with the process, as it is hard to describe. 

Here's how I do it: slice along the length of the chicken at an angle that leaves about a 1/2 inch thick of flesh (like peeling an apple, but thicker); continue slicing through, while pulling and unrolling the inside of the chicken until you get a flat rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick.  Season both sides with olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Set aside.

Stuffing:

In a large deep-sided skillet, add three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  When hot, add chorizo, onion, apples, rosemary, and cabbage. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Saute, stirring occasionally until soft. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Roulade:

Spread stuffing on chicken starting from the edge closest to you, covering the chicken entirely, leaving about 1" clear on the far edge. Roll tightly, starting from the closest edge, then secure with twine.

Arrange roulade on a single layer on a oven dish. Bake for 30 minutes, turning over once at the halfway point. Glaze with 2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup during cooking and brush pan drippings all over the roulade for color and extra flavor.

Let the roulade rest for 10 minutes before carving.