The Magic Pan Crêperie

(c)1970s
Began at Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco by
Hungarian immigrants Lazlo and Paulette Fono.

Nostalgia for food is a pretty strong driving force in my life. Whenever anyone talks about crêpes, I reminisce over The Magic Pan. This happened a few weeks ago. I first tried the easy route of Googling for recipes, but came up almost empty-handed. There is some mention of the fact that the Spinach Crêpe was actually Stouffer's Spinach Soufflé. Love that clue.

I managed to also unearth a menu:

I finally searched through my unruly recipe collection to find two of the three recipes that I remember enjoying so much way back in the late '70s. Not sure what the source for these recipes was at the time, but I am oh-so-happy to have them--handwritten. The third recipe was for Cheese Palacsintas. I'll add that if and when I come across it.

Ham Palacsintas
(serves 8)

Filling:
1 lb. Ham, ground
1 cup Sour cream
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp. Onion powder
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and white pepper
8 - 8" Crêpes
3 Eggs
1 cup Milk
Cracker meal
Oil for deep frying

1. Mix ham, sour cream, eggs, onion powder, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Fill each crêpe as follows:
3. Spread filling on 1/2 crêpe, forming a rectangle 6: long and about 1-1/2" wide.
4. Fold filled crêpe 1/2 over to the centerline of crêpe, covering filing. 
5. Roll up, pressing down lightly on edge so that it holds together and is slightly flattened.
6. Mix eggs and milk together.
7. Dip filled crêpes into egg mixture and let excess drain back.
8. Roll each crêpe in cracker meal.
9. Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees and fry crêpes until golden, about 1-1/2 minutes.
10. Serve with mustard sauce.

Mustard Sauce

 (2 cups)

4 Egg yolks

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. White pepper

4 tsp. Vinegar

2 cups Salad oil

1 T. Lemon juice

4 T. Mustard

2 T. Honey

1. (In blender) Stir together egg yolks; add salt, pepper, and vinegar. Blend thoroughly.
2. Pour oil very slowly into egg mixture while blender is on.
3. Add lemon juice, mustard, and honey. 
4. Blend until well mixed.

Potage St. Germain

(3-1/2 quarts)

1 - 1lb. Ham bone

4-1/2 cups Water

2 cups Chicken stock

2 cups Split peas, rinsed

2/3 cup Green onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup Carrots, diced

1/3 cup Celery, diced

1/2 tsp. Sugar

1/8 tsp. Marjoram

1/8 tsp. Pepper

2-1/2 cups Milk

1 cup Whipping cream

3/4 cup Ham, finely diced

1/2 cup Chicken, cooked and finely diced

1. Place ham bone in large pot.
2. Add water, chicken stock, and peas.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Skim impurities from top.
5. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.
6. Add vegetables and seasonings.
7. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until peas are very soft and mixture is thick. About 30-40 minutes.
8. Remove ham bone.
9. Gradually stir in milk and cream.
10. Add diced ham and chicken.
11. Simmer, stirring occasionally. About 10 minutes.
12. Adjust seasonings.