Buckwheat Galettes with Ham, Cheese, and Egg

Today, my friends, is Fat Tuesday, a.k.a. Pancake Day! I never realized until recently that there was a day designated to eating pancakes, but I suppose it makes sense with Lent starting tomorrow. While living in France, I fell completely in love with crêpes. Paper-thin, the French version of pancakes are delicious for dessert (filled with Nutella or dark chocolate), breakfast (filled with jam), or–if you make a savory batter–lunch or dinner. Traditionally, savory crêpes are called galettes and made with buckwheat flour. With their golden color and delicious nutty flavor, buckwheat galettes are the perfect base for savory fillings like ham, cheese, and egg, smoked salmon and creme fraiche, or my favorite, goat cheese and leeks.

The picture above was taken in Paris at my favorite crêperie, La Crepuscule. I love ordering a piping hot crêpe or galette from the window and taking it to the little park across the street to eat. I love the way the cheese forms crisp tendrils that spill from the top of the galette: pure deliciousness.

These are so easy to make. Just make sure you have either a crêpe pan or a nonstick omelette pan, and allow time for the batter to rest in the fridge before you attempt to cook them. Swirling the pan just right takes a little practice, but don't dispair: you'll get the hang of it after a few tries (and you can always eat your mistakes!). Bon appetit!

BUCKWHEAT GALETTES

Serves 8

2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you don't have a blender, whisk the eggs, milk, and water together in a bowl until smooth. Add the flours and salt and whisk to combine. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Strain the batter into another bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour (and up to 24) to allow all the air bubbles to settle.

Heat a small crêpe pan (or nonstick skillet) over medium high heat. Swirl 1 teaspoon of butter in the pan and add a small amount of batter in the pan–swirl the pan so that the batter evenly and thinly coats the bottom. Cook for about 30 seconds (until lightly browned) and flip. Cook for another 10-15 seconds and remove to a plate.

Continue cooking the rest of the batter, adding additional butter every third crêpe or so. Stack the crêpes on a sheet tray and keep warm in a 225 degree F oven until ready to serve.

GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: Use 3/4 cup buckwheat flour and 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.

BUCKWHEAT GALETTES WITH HAM, CHEESE, AND EGG

Serves 4

4 buckwheat galettes (recipe above)
4 thin ham slices
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere, Swiss, or Emmenthal cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
4 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 35o degrees F. Prepare the galettes according to the recipe above. Lay the galettes on a greased baking sheet. Cover each galette with 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 ham slice.

Heat the butter in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and cook for 3 minutes or so, until barely set. Slide one egg on top of the ham and cheese on each each crepe. Season the eggs with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Fold the four sides of the crepe over the filling to create a square; the egg yolk should be peeking out the top. (Alternately, fold the crepes in half, over the filling, to make half moons.

Cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the eggs have cooked through. Serve with a mixed green salad with a simple Dijon vinaigrette.