Crepes are formed from a thin batter and stuffed with filling.
Crepes are renowned French food, eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner and stuffed with ingredients ranging from fruit in sweet crepes to chicken, cheese and herbs found in savory crepes. A basic crepe recipe calls for frying a pancake-like batter of flour, eggs, milk and salt or sugar in a skillet of melted butter. Crepe filling is cooked in a separate pan and added to the hot crepe, once finished. Pairing wine with chicken crepes requires considering a wine that complements and enhances the flavors of the herbs, cheeses and sauces used in the crepe filling, as chicken itself pairs with most wines.
Instructions
1. Read the recipe or menu item to find the type of sauce used in the chicken crepe. Choose a chardonnay to pair with chicken crepes that use cream- and butter-based sauces because of the buttery undertones and full-bodied flavor of the wine. Pick a robust red wine to pair, such as Chianti or zinfandel, to pair with the bold flavors of a tomato sauce. Select a Riesling to balance a spicy flavored sauce, such as Jamaican jerk with its fruity tones.
2. Search for the type of cheese prepared with the chicken crepe. Pair cheeses, such as gruyere, brie and chevre with chardonnay, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc or pinot noir because these wines offer a rich flavor with soft tannins that do not overpower delicate cheeses. Select a tannic wine, such as cabernet sauvignon or amarone to complement hard, full-flavored cheeses including Parmigiano-Reggiano, asiago and fontinella. Choose a dessert wine, such as a port, to pair with blue cheeses including gorgonzola or roquefort because the sweetness of the wine counters the saltiness of the cheese.
3. Find the types of herbs infused into the chicken crepe dish. Match sauvignon blanc with pungent herbs, such as garlic, and herbs including basil, rosemary, oregano and black pepper. The crisp tones of the wine match the fresh, grassy flavors of the herbs. Pair chardonnay with rosemary, tarragon, sage and thyme because the fruity and oak tones complement the bold herb flavors. Select Riesling with citrus flavors, such as lemon and lime or Cajun spices because the light flavor of the wine offsets the spiciness, cleansing the palate. Choose syrah to pair with pepper-based dishes because it is a spicy red wine with pepper and black currant overtones. Pick a pinot noir to match a salty dish, so the fruitiness and low tannins balance out the salt.
