St. Nicholas Crêpe Purses

One way to make St. Nicholas purses—such as he may have tossed through the window to wave the three young women—is to use crêpes. Either make your own or purchase crêpes ready-made, such as Jacquet plain French Crêpes. I nearly always try recipes before posting them, so I do have some hints that would give you better results than my photo. If your crêpes are thicker, they will be easier to handle and more successful. My results didn't equal all the lovely pictures you'll find on the web if you search "crêpe purses" or "beggars purses."

Ingredients

10-12 Crêpes, plain
10-oz Frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 lb. Ricotta cheese
1 cup (5 oz) Parmesan cheese
1 cup (7 oz) Gruyere cheese, grated
2 eggs
1/3 cup cream
Pepper
½ teaspoon nutmeg, or to taste
Chives, green onion strips, or leek pieces to tie the bundles

Directions

• Put thawed, chopped spinach in large bowl
• Add ricotta, Parmesan, and Gruyere cheeses; mix well
• Stir in eggs; add cream
• Add pepper generously and nutmeg to taste; stir well
• Put a large spoonful in the middle of a crêpe
• Fold and pinch the edges to make a bundle
• Tie chive, green onion strip, or leek piece in a double knot
• Place "purse" in baking dish; repeat with the other crêpes
• Cover loosely with foil to prevent excess browning
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted

Variations

Searching "crepe purses" or "beggars purses" finds many variations, both savory and sweet. Any of them would make good St. Nicholas money purses. Here are a few.

Adapted from Les Gourmandises d'Isa.