FOOD: Ham crepes.
Poor crepes. In some circles they still have a bad name. Maybe it’s Pancake Parlour’s fault or maybe it was the ’70s when every home cook tried to make crepes and vol-au-vents filled with a thickened chicken stodge that was, frankly, not quite right. That stigma aside, when this dish makes its way onto the restaurant floor, it makes many people very happy, in a soft, nostalgic and comforting way.
I grew up eating fantastic crepes. My mother was a dab hand at them, and I would wait at her elbow as she twisted and turned and rolled the batter around in her special crepe pans. Every so often she would flip a warm crepe onto my plate, on which I would squeeze lemon and sprinkle sugar, then roll it up and happily eat. Often she would be making a version of this recipe, something that obviously still lingers in my memory.
This dish calls for buckwheat crepes, known in France as galettes. The batter is quite different to a standard white flour only version. It’s best if it is made the night before, and at time of use should have the consistency of thickened cream but with a slightly odd mucilaginous texture. Once you start making your crepes, the first one will probably be a dud. But persevere – as you get the right amount of butter and heat in your pan, and then the right amount of mixture, the beautiful rhythm of crepe-making will come into your life. It is to me one of the most satisfying exercises in the kitchen, rolling the batter around the pan, waiting for the bubbles to come through and then flipping it over, placing it on a rack and starting again.
Once these crepes are made, they are “buttered” with a little Dijon mustard, rolled with good leg ham and grated Gruyere, placed in a baking dish and then smothered with bechamel sauce and more grated Gruyere. Familiar ingredients you may think? Indeed, they are exactly the same as the parts of that other very classic French favourite, the croque monsieur. Perhaps that is why they bring that sense of comfort to the dining room when I serve them. At home they are great for an autumnal supper served with a crisp, sharply dressed salad. For vegetarians, substitute the ham for a sauté of mushrooms and spinach.
Like most foundation-style recipes, these crepes are not just good for the aforementioned dish. If you add about one tablespoon of castor sugar to the batter, they are terrific for a sweet dish. Serve them warm with lemon and sugar, or with strawberries tossed in a little butter, sugar and lemon juice over a medium heat, or maybe even with some prunes soaked in Armagnac as well as
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Chantilly cream.