One of the most popular Parisian street foods are crêpes. You can buy them filled with just about any sweet filling, including fruit preserves and chocolate. But savory crêpes, also popular in France though much less known outside of the country, actually have a different name; they are called galettes. Thinner and larger than crêpes, they are made with buckwheat flour, a soft flour with an earthy flavor. The region of Brittany is very famous for its galettes, which can be filled with any number of savory fillings.
Eggs, thinly sliced meats, fish, cheese, and vegetable all make delicious fillings. My favorite, by far, is the combination of ham and eggs. Savory crêpes can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner, but they are especially nice for an elegant breakfast. With Mother's day this weekend, a breakfast of galettes would be a wonderful way to celebrate mom with some French flair. If you know how to make pancakes and fry eggs, making these breakfast bundles is not difficult at all.
All you need is a bit of swirling action in the wrist to get nice round crêpes. Besides that, the batter can be made easily in the blender. Resting the batter for a bit ensures it has a chance to fully incorporate, but if you don't have time to make the crêpes on the morning of mom's day, make it the night before and refrigerate. Bring the batter back to room temperature before frying the crêpes. One tip to keep in mind is that the batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it's a little too thick, stir in some additional milk until it looks right.
To assemble a breakfast galette, simply fry an egg in a large pan and heat two slices of ham. Place a crêpe on a plate, line with the ham slices, top with a fried egg, and fold up the edges. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with chopped chives or grated cheese. Mom will be quite impressed with this French-style breakfast. The recipe is easy enough for anyone to master and kids can even help with the assembly.
Buckwheat Crêpes
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs
In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the jar. Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour. Whisk before using.
Heat a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. Brush the pan with clarified butter or canola oil. Add 1/4 cup batter and swirl to coat. After about 1 minute, use a spatula to check if the bottom of the crêpe is lightly browned. Flip the crêpe and cook for about 1/2 minute. Turn the crêpe out onto a plate. Whisk the batter and continue to cook crêpes until the batter is used up.
Yield: about 12 crêpes.
Joseph Erdos is a New York–based writer and editor, but above all a gastronomer and oenophile. He shares his passion for food on his blog, Gastronomer's Guide , which features unique recipes and restaurant reviews among many other musings on the all-encompassing topic of food.