Buckwheat Galettes

One day during my recent winter break, I invited my friends over to watch the movie Amélie at noon. In order to be a good hostess, I needed, of course, to provide lunch (along with the promised crème brûlée). The day before, when I was deciding what to serve, automatically, I thought of crepes because I had some buckwheat flour sitting in the pantry.

Buckwheat crepes, also known as galettes de sarrasin (made from buckwheat flour, farine de sarrasin), originate from Brittany. As opposed to crepes made from wheat flour, these buckwheat galettes have a a darker, speckled color and a pleasant, nutty flavor. A great thing about serving these crepes, or just crepes in general, is that they can be filled with whatever you have on hand.

This time, I chose to fill mine with ham, parmesan, and mozzarella, and then topped each of them off with an egg, runny-yolked, sunny-side up. But, I can think of a wide variety of fillings. I've also made them before filled with blanched spinach and gruyere. They can be filled with caramelized onions and chicken, leftover ratatouille, tuna, bacon, whatever you desire.

Buckwheat Galettes

adapted from Saveur

1 1⁄2 cups buckwheat flour
1⁄2 tsp. sea salt
1 egg, beaten until foamy
1 1/2 cup + 2/3 cup water
1 cup milk
filling of choice

Combine the buckwheat flour with the sea salt. Mix in the egg. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups water and continue mixing for a few minutes, until batter is "smooth and elastic" (stated in the original recipe). Then cover your bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to make the crepes, mix the milk and the 2/3 cups water into the batter. Heat a 10 inch pan over medium heat. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray or brush with some melted butter. Pour in 1/4 cup of the batter and quickly swirl it around the pan till evenly coated. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the edges start to peel away from the side of the pan and the crepe starts to brown. Flip the crepe over and cook the other side for about one or two minutes.The first crepe is usually the ugliest. Don't worry, it gets easier and easier with each new crepe. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

If you're only using a few of them, fill them immediately after making them and leave the rest to cool on a cooling rack (they can be stacked and refrigerated once cool). If you're serving them all at once, you can keep them warm by placing them in the oven (heated to a low temperature, around 200ºF).

To fill, place a crepe back in the pan. Heat one side, and flip. Sprinkle cheese over the crepe. Wait for it to melt a bit. Add the rest of your filling, sprinkle more cheese, and then place a lid on the pan. Remove from pan once all the cheese is melted. Fold in the four edges, or just two if you have a lot of filling. Then top with your egg and enjoy!

Makes 8-10.