SCALLION WILD RICE CREPES WITH MUSHROOM FILLING AND RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and cook, covered, over low heat until rice is tender and grains are split open, 1 to 1 1/4 hours (not all liquid will be absorbed). Drain well in a colander and cool to warm.
• Blend together milk, eggs, 3 tablespoons butter, flour, pepper, remaining teaspoon salt, and 1 cup cooked wild rice in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in scallions and 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (reserve remainder for another use). Let batter stand, covered, at room temperature 1 hour.
• Make sauce while rice cooks:
• Roast bell peppers on racks of gas burners over high heat, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened, 10 to 12 minutes. (Or broil peppers on a broiler pan about 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes.) Transfer to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, then let stand 20 minutes.
• When cool enough to handle, peel peppers, discarding stems and seeds, and coarsely chop.
• Purée peppers with water, oil, vinegar, and salt in cleaned blender until smooth. Season with pepper and pour into a small heavy saucepan.
• Make filling while batter stands:
• Soak porcini in boiling-hot water in a small bowl until softened, about 20 minutes. Lift porcini out, squeezing liquid back into bowl, then rinse porcini (to remove any grit) and finely chop. Pour soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into another small bowl.
• Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a 12- to 13-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté porcini and cremini mushrooms, tossing with 2 wooden spatulas or spoons, until wilted and any liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and remaining tablespoon butter and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add porcini soaking liquid and boil until most of liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook and assemble crêpes:
• Line a plate with 1 square of wax paper. Heat crêpe pan over moderate heat until hot, then brush lightly with some melted butter. Spoon about 3 tablespoons batter into pan, tilting and rotating to coat bottom. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crêpe.) Cook until underside is lightly browned, about 1 minute, then loosen crêpe with a heatproof plastic spatula and flip over with your fingers. Cook crêpe until other side is lightly browned, about 1 minute, and transfer to wax-paper-lined plate. Top crêpe with another square of wax paper. Make more crêpes with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter as needed. (You will have extra crêpes.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Brush some melted butter on bottom of a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep). Spread 1/4 cup filling over half of 1 crêpe, then fold other half over filling to form a half-moon. Fold half-moon in thirds, overlapping outer sections (see photo, opposite), and transfer to baking pan. Repeat procedure with 11 more crêpes, arranging in 1 layer in baking pan.
• Brush crêpes generously with remaining melted butter and bake in upper third of oven until outsides are crisp and filling is heated through, about 15 minutes.
• While crêpes are baking, heat sauce over low heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
• Put 2 crêpes on each of 6 plates and serve with sauce.