For the occasion, they substituted milk with beer (the Italian Birra Moretti to be exact) for a lighter result.
Ingredients
Serves 4 (Makes 10 pancakes of 14cm approx across)
For the pancakes
2 organic free-range eggs
100g flour
Pinch of salt and pepper
120ml beer
Butter or oil for frying
For the béchamel
Make 1 liter
1 liter of milk
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
1 bay leaf
A good pinch each of nutmeg,
Salt and black pepper
100g butter
70g plain flour
Put the milk, onion, bay leaves, nutmeg, salt and black pepper into a medium saucepan over the heat and bring to a gentle boil.
Meanwhile, make a roux: melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook the butter and flour for a few minutes over a medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove the bay leaves and onion from the milk, then add the roux, whisking furiously. Cook until it thickens, adjust the seasoning to taste and remove from the heat. Cover the surface of the béchamel with cling film or a circle of dampened baking parchment to stop a skin forming.
Tip: When you come to use the béchamel, if you find it too thick, add a little milk to thin it out. Reheating also helps.
For the filling
200g fresh white crab meat
200ml béchamel
1 level tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the spinach sauce
100g spinach, cooked and squeezed dry
800ml béchamel
25g Parmesan, finely grated
To prepare the filling, combine the ingredients, taste for seasoning and set aside.
To make the pancakes, sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and butter and start to whisk them gradually incorporating the flour. Pour in the milk adding a little at a time, still whisking, or use a food processor. Heat a knob of butter in a small (about 20cm) non-stick frying pan. When it foams, pour in a pool of batter approximately 14cm wide swirling it around until the base is covered. Keep over the heat until the underside is golden brown. Now toss the pancake or flip it with a slice and cook the other side until golden. Transfer to a warm plate while you cook the rest, interleaving them with squares of baking parchment.
To stuff the pancakes put 1 heaped tablespoon of the crab filling onto each pancake and spread it out lengthways. Roll them up and lay in an ovenproof dish. (I put mine into an oval lasagne dish on an angle.) Combine the spinach and béchamel, season to taste and pour over the pancakes. Sprinkle over the Parmesan and grill for 1 minute under a very hot grill.
Irene de Gasparis
Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi shared their Crespelle recipe with an eager audience in a recent cooking demo. Their educative (and funny) performance took place recently at La Dolce Vita, the annual Italian Festival in London. 
