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By Request
Remember the days when we didn't care how much creamy, buttery, fatty stuff floated into our bodies? When we truly believed that if it tasted good, it must be good for us? Crab-filled crepe
buttery treatThose were the days of the Crepe Madagascar, served at the Nick's Fishmarket family of restaurants through the boom-belly years of the 1970s and '80s.
Barbra Filipy remembers the crab-filled crepe as served at Nicholas Nickolas, now Aaron's. She's temporarily living in "boring Ohio," and yearns for this dish as well as other local specialties. "I do so miss the islands and especially the food."
The Madagascar is no longer on the menu -- "It's a bit rich by today's standards," says Aaron's maitre d' Skip Lambert.
In other words: "Two of them and a Nick's salad and you'd be ready to lie down."
The crepes were packed tight with a crab filling flavored with coconut milk, chile sauce and butter (of course). Over it all was a hearty dose of hollandaise.
They were created by the pantry chef who opened the first Nick's Fishmarket in 1968, in the Marine Surf Hotel in Waikiki, now the location of Matteo's Italian Restaurant.
The dish was one of the chain's most popular for years, Lambert says. An individual serving was one crepe, but most customers ended up ordering a second.
"It was sensational," Lambert says. "I miss it."
If you try this dish at home, keep in mind that hollandaise is not a sauce for beginning cooks. If it's your first time, proceed with care and expect that you might have to try more than once.
To make filling: Saute onion, carrots and celery root with half the butter. Add remaining ingredients and fold to combine. Refrigerate immediately.Crab Crepe Madagascar
Filling:
3/4 cup diced Maui onion
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery root
2-1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 pound crab meat (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon Thai sweet chile sauce
1/4 teaspoon EACH nutmeg, allspice, turmeric and Kosher salt
Pinch cinnamon
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup clarified butter
Juice from 1-1/2 lemon
1 sprig EACH chervil, Italian parsley, thyme and opal basil (leaves only, finely minced)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 drops EACH Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce
1 cup flour
1-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cottonseed oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher saltTo make sauce: Whip egg yolk until frothy over warm water bath, making sure not to scramble the egg. Slowly drizzle clarified butter into the bowl, whipping until fully incorporated. (Butter should be warm to the touch, but not hot. Do not heat mixture above 120 degrees.) Continue beating mixture until thick and frothy. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and herbs, then salt and pepper. Add Tabasco and Worcestershire.
To make crepes: Combine ingredients until smooth. Lightly grease a 6-inch skillet and heat until water dropped on the surface sizzles. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into skillet; lift pan and tilt until batter is evenly spread in pan. Cook until browned on one side only. Loosen crepe by running a small metal spatula around edges. Invert pan over paper towels to remove crepe. If necessary, smooth crepe to allow to lie flat. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing the skillet as needed.
To assemble: Place 3 ounces of filling in the center of a crepe and fold, roll or wrap crepe around filling. Top with 4 ounces of sauce. Makes 10 crepes.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 320 calories, 25 g total fat, 14 g saturated fat, 170 mg cholesterol, greater than 550 mg sodium.*
Food Stuffs: Morsels
Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com
Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the
Body & Soul section indicates calculations by
Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts,
a nutritional consulting firm.
