Turkey-and-Mushroom Crepes with Gruyère Cheese Sauce

NOTE: Prepare homemade crepes from your favorite recipe (they are not difficult to make) — or use store-bought French crepes. You will almost always find a 10.5-ounce package of Jacquet Delicious Original French Crepes (Paris 1885) on hand in our kitchen! These savory crepes easily turn small amounts of leftover meats or vegetables into a really delicious, brand new meal!

• 18 savory French crepes (at room temperature)
• FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
• 4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cup freshly-grated Gruyère (or Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese
• FOR THE FILLING:
• 4 cups fresh mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/4 teaspoon freeze-dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated onion
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 cups cooked, diced turkey (white or dark meat or a combination)

FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE:

Melt butter in a saucepan. Remove pan from the heat and whisk in flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, whisking until smooth. Return pan to a low heat and cook 5 minutes. Slowly add cream, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened — do not let the sauce boil. Add cheese in several small amounts and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts and sauce is smooth and creamy; set aside.

FOR THE FILLING:

Preheat oven to 350°. Sauté mushrooms in 1/2 cup of the butter for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often. Add sage, thyme, garlic, onion, salt and pepper; stir gently to blend well. Add turkey and cook 2-3 minutes, just until heated through. Gently stir in half of the prepared Cheese Sauce; set the other half aside for later use. Remove pan from the heat and set the sauce aside.

TO PREPARE THE CREPES:

Because French crepes are quite delicate, I usually stack 2 or 3 of them for each crepe preparation as I enjoy the taste of the crepe itself along with the delicious filling. Sprinkle each crepe very sparingly with grated cheese. Spoon some of the turkey filling onto the top crepe. Carefully roll the crepes up together(as if it were a single crepe) — or fold it into quarters, if preferred. Place the filled crepes in a single layer in a lightly-buttered shallow baking dish. Repeat this same procedure with the remaining crepes and filling. Dot some of the remaining butter sparingly over the filled crepes, then spoon the remaining Cheese Sauce over the crepes. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until heated through and the sauce is lightly browned on top — Serves 6-8