Looking back through my menu book is like visiting with friends. Originally, I started keeping track of menus I served to friends to make sure I didn't repeat myself. But soon the menu book became an end in itself, a reminder of good times and good dinners that have spanned two decades.

I like to trace the culinary threads that run for a year or two, then are replaced with the next knockout dish or favored ingredient.

Some dishes have endured to this day because they're so scrumptious. I still make fresh sauteed morels on toast points, paella and bouillabaisse. And for more than a decade, I've been making a wonderful dessert of crepes stuffed with lemon souffle.

Just about all of my friends have tasted the crepes by now, so it's time to pass the recipe along. The original is from "Great Cooking" by the editors of Time-Life Books.

The crepes are folded into triangles and stuffed with a pale yellow souffle that puffs dramatically in the oven. Eating one is like biting into a cloud. Because it's so light and citrusy, it has become my dessert of choice after a heavy entree such as cassoulet or smoked prime rib.

The crepes themselves can be made a day in advance, and the souffle base can be made several hours ahead. Just before serving, beat the egg whites, fold them into the souffle base and stuff the crepes. The dessert takes just 10 minutes to bake.

Lemon Souffle Crepes

Serves 4

3 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons sifted flour

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs, separated

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

8 dessert crepes, about 8 inches in diameter (recipe follows)

powdered sugar

Melt butter over low heat in a heavy, 1-quart saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool for a moment.

Beat in milk vigorously to blend. Return to heat and cook and stir briefly, until the mixture boils and thickens. Scoop into a large bowl. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Add 3 tablespoons of the sugar, lemon juice and grated lemon peel. Stir well.

In another bowl, beat egg whites with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Add remaining tablespoon of sugar and beat until whites are stiff peaks. Stir a heaping tablespoon into the souffle base to lighten the mixture, then fold in remaining egg whites.

Place crepes, speckled side up, on a work surface. Place about 2 tablespoons souffle mixture on the top half of each crepe and gently fold the lower half over it. Then lightly fold the crepes into quarters to make small triangles.

Place the crepes on a buttered cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. With a spatula, gently place 2 crepes on each dessert plate. Serve immediately.

Dessert Crepes

Makes 8

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

butter

Stir together flour, sugar and eggs. Add milk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Cover and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

Warm a crepe pan (a skillet with sloping sides) or a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Film the bottom with butter.

Pour about 1/4 cup batter into pan and immediately tilt the pan to spread the batter into a very thin, 8-inch circle, pouring any excess batter back into the bowl. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until bottom is light brown. Turn crepe over and cook 30 seconds longer.

Repeat with remaining batter, stacking crepes between pieces of waxed paper or foil. Store at room temperature, wrapped with plastic wrap.

Pub Date: 03/07/99