Buckwheat Crepes With Asparagus, Ham and Gruyère
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus at least 2 hours' chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup/120 grams buckwheat flour
- ½cup/60 grams all-purpose flour
- 2eggs
- 2½cups buttermilk
- ½teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
- 2tablespoons butter, plus more for pan
- 1½pounds medium asparagus, trimmed and bottom parts peeled, if desired
- 6cooked ham slices
- 2cups grated Gruyère or Comté cheese
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
446 calories; 24 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 823 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the batter: Whisk together flours, eggs, buttermilk and salt until well combined. Put the batter in the fridge for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight. If necessary, thin batter with a little more buttermilk or water, to the consistency of heavy cream.
- Step 2
Heat a crepe pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet, about 8 inches in diameter, over medium-high heat. Use a piece of paper towel to rub a little butter in the pan, then quickly ladle in about ¼ cup of batter. Swirl the pan to spread the batter all the way to the perimeter. Let crepe brown on one side for a minute or so, until crisp. Flip it over with a spatula (or carefully with your fingers) and cook one minute more. Don’t worry about browning the second side. Adjust heat if crepe browns too quickly; the pan needn’t be scorching hot. Remove from heat if crepe is cooking too quickly.
- Step 3
Remove the crepe from the pan and set it aside while you continue to make 5 more. Stack crepes on top of each other as they are finished. (Crepes may be made in advance.)
- Step 4
Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the asparagus for 2 minutes, or just until it is firm-tender, then drain and spread on a clean kitchen towel to cool.
- Step 5
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Fill the crepes by laying each one top-side down, place a slice of ham on top, sprinkle generously with cheese, and lay 3 asparagus spears on top, off to one side. Fold over to make a half-moon.
- Step 6
Put the filled crepes in one layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little melted butter, then bake until they are crisp and the cheese is melted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.
- This makes enough batter for 12 crepes.
- And to Drink ... Nothing will go better with savory Breton-style crepes than a dry cider, especially with the classic fillings of asparagus, ham and cheese. Brittany and Normandy are a paradise for ciders, offering a wide range of choices, many of which, sadly, are not available in the United States. Nonetheless, the selection of dry American ciders has never been better. If you prefer wine, you could pick a sparkling wine, not necessarily a Champagne but others from the various French wine regions, like Alsace, Jura or the Loire. The United States is also producing more good, dry sparkling wines. Look for those labeled pétillant naturel, an ancient method that is a sparkling equivalent of cider. Or try a good dry white, like a pinot blanc, riesling or fiano. ERIC ASIMOV
Private Notes
Comments
The story does a nice job telling about the cultural role of buckwheat in Brittany.
I can add that the buckwheat you buy here is very likely produced right in New York State. We have an old buckwheat culture here as well: the crop was raised by the Dutch in the 1600's on farms in what is now Midtown Manhattan. The mill that grinds the flour has been in the same spot since 1797.
Making galettes celebrates New York history as well.
You can use all buckwheat. This is common in Brittany.
Overall a very delicious brunch or lunch item - I did make some minor changes. I had to thin the batter a bit and whisked in about a 1/4 cup of whole milk (after chiling the batter for two hours). I also pan fried my asparagus and added lemon juice, about a 1/4 teaspoon of lemon rind, black pepper and sea salt. The touch of lemon went well with all the ingredients. I'm not a buckwheat fan but I would make this again and probably make a vegetarian version with spinach and mushrooms.
I really like these crepes, and I recently returned from Perigord. I found all milk (I didn’t have buttermilk) produced a too thin batter even after sitting overnight. I think Tanis’s suggestion of thinning the buttermilk batter with a little milk is spot on—esp. if the batter rests.
I followed the recipe and used water to thin the batter, ends there. Standard 12-inch cast iron pan. Half cup to portion. You have to pick up the pan and swirl it to get to edges. If it doesn't flow fast enough, add water. Butter between crepes. Cooking the 1st side, watch for the top to be competely dry and the edges to be golden, use a silicon spatula to lift it up to check doneness. Flip it with spatula under the middle. 2nd side, one minute only. Oven finishes cooking it. Perfect crepes!
I haven’t cooked mine yet but the batter is thin like heavy cream,. My issue is with weight vs volume of the flours. I scooped and leveled 1/2 cup of AP flour which weighed 69 grams. Then I scooped a little less than one cup of buckwheat flour and it weighed 141 grams. I think in the end I went with the weight which is why, perhaps, it seems thin enough, so far. It is in the fridge for several hours. But it is confusing. Graeme Bethune
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