Cooking Class: Crepe Tivoli from Cafe Moulin in Shadyside
Passers-by might miss Cafe Moulin, tucked away downstairs on Filbert Street in Shadyside.
But the sharp-eyed ones who descend the stairs will find a cozy, European-style breakfast eatery, where the sweet aroma of grilling crepes and baking French toast mingles with those of brewing coffee and steeping tea.
Diners sit at tables or banquettes along original stone foundation walls that add to the European ambiance of Cafe Moulin, which opened in the fall. If they like, patrons can watch the chef make crepes at two large crepe griddles protected by glass panels.
“We are used to getting breakfast and then starting our day,” says chef and co-owner Bener Ozen, 33, of his native country, Turkey. “Here, there's a gap. There aren't many breakfast places.”
At least, there aren't many breakfast places where a diner can order a variety of crepes. Cafe Moulin offers several, except on Mondays. Crepes include the Crepe Tivoli, named for the villa and gardens outside Rome, which contains fresh mozzarella, fresh baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and basil pesto, for $9; or the Crepe Marseille, with fire-roasted chicken, Swiss cheese, roasted red peppers, caramelized red onions and Crème Moulin, also for $9. Crème Moulin is Ozen's version of crème fraiche, with sour cream, regular cream and a bit of yogurt.
The Crepe Alaskan, for $9, includes smoked salmon, cream cheese, shallots, capers and Crème Moulin.
“We use mostly organic and fresh ingredients,” says Ozen, who now lives in Avalon. “The ingredients are very important.”
Diners can order gluten-free crepes for $1.50 more.
Although crepes are not available on Mondays, waffles are available any day. Ozen makes Cafe Moulin's waffles with yeast batter. One waffle is the Banella, with bananas, Nutella, chocolate sauce and whipped cream, for $6.50. The whimsically named Halle Berry includes strawberries, Nutella, chocolate sauce and whipped cream, also for $6.50.
Ozen also offers a twist on French toast, using a waffle instead of bread as the base.
“You can't find French waffle toast anywhere else in Pittsburgh,” Ozen says. For $10.90, the waffle is soaked in beaten egg and comes with fresh fruits, preserves and walnuts.
The Moulin Coffee Corner offers a variety of coffees and coffee drinks, such as Caffe Americano, latte, cappuccino, Turkish Caffee and Nutella Hot Chocolate. Prices range from $1.75 for a single Espresso to $4.40 for a 20-ounce Caffe Mocha or Caffe Caramel.
Eighteen varities of teas include chamomile and fragrant Turkish Apple Tea, as well as Earl Grey, Huang Jinga and Assam. All are $2.05.
Ozen studied hotel management in high school and then graduated with a degree in hotel management from Mediterranean Hotel and Tourism Management University in Antalya in southwestern Turkey.
His business partner, Evren Karabacak, 32, now of Oakland, came to Pittsburgh from Turkey to study business administration at Point Park University. Karabacak has his MBA from Point Park and is working on a master's degree in organizational leadership. Karabacak also owns R&B Pizza near Point Park.
Ozen and his wife, Senay, followed Karabacak to Pittsburgh, where Bener Ozen is working on a degree in culinary arts at Community College of Allegheny County. Senay, 28, also works at Cafe Moulin.
Karabacak says the partners named the restaurant Cafe Moulin because “Moulin” is French for “mill,” where grain is ground into flour – appropriate because the centerpiece dishes at Cafe Moulin, waffles and crepes, contain wheat and buckwheat flour. The partners chose a stylized stone windmill as the logo of the restaurant.
A group of women dining at Cafe Moulin recently shared a Banella waffle and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“I opened this place to make people happy, not to make millions,” Bener Ozen says.
Sandra Fischione Donovan is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.
Crepe Tivoli
Bener Ozen, chef and co-owner of Cafe Moulin in Shadyside, grew up in a diverse neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey. People of various nationalities from Europe and Asia were his neighbors.
“We were always making crepes for breakfast,” he says. “Everyone has a crepe recipe.”
The Crepe Tivoli that Ozen makes at Cafe Moulin is very close to his mother's crepe recipe, Ozen says.
“It's very light. When you eat it, you don't feel (over-stuffed),” he said. The crepe is named for a town outside Rome famous for the luxurious Renaissance-era Villa d'Este and its beautiful gardens. The ingredients in the crepe are those Italians would also use, such as mozzarella cheese, fresh spinach, tomatoes and basil pesto.
Ozen prefers to use fresh, organic ingredients in the crepe and in all of the breakfast and brunch foods he prepares at Cafe Moulin.
For the basil pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium-size cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the crepes:
2 cups whole milk, more if needed
1 tablespoon sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1⁄2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
Butter, oil or nonstick cooking spray, for frying
For the filling:
1⁄2 pound fresh organic spinach
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound fresh mozzarella, grated
1⁄2 pound cherry tomatoes
Basil pesto
To prepare the pesto: Combine the pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until�blended. Place the pesto in a container with a nozzle.
To prepare the crepes: With a whisk, mix the milk, sugar, salt, butter, flours and eggs until smooth. Cover and chill overnight.
To fry the crepes, remove the batter from the refrigerator about one hour before frying. Stir it briskly; it should be the consistency of heavy cream. If not, add a tablespoon of milk.
Heat a large pan or griddle. Drop a tiny piece of butter or teaspoon of oil on the pan and wipe it around carefully with a paper towel, or coat with cooking spray.
To complete the crepe with filling: Spread a ladle full of crepe batter in the pan or on the griddle and smooth into a thin, flat circle with a butter spreader. Place enough fresh spinach on half of the crepe to cover it. Season with salt and pepper.
Using a wooden spatula, gently fold the other half of the crepe over the half covered with spinach. Then place enough of the grated mozzarella and cut tomatoes over half of the half-moon shape — one-quarter of the original circle. Spread a bit of the basil pesto over the tomatoes and cheese.
Fold half of the half-moon over the cheese, tomatoes and pesto to make a fan-shape wedge that is one-quarter of the original circle. Garnish the finished wedge in a zigzag pattern with another squirt of pesto.
Makes 18 to 20 crepes.
