Buckwheat Crepes With Eggs Ham And Gruyere Recipes

BUCKWHEAT CREPES WITH ASPARAGUS, HAM AND GRUYèRE

Steps:

• 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.
• 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 1/4 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.
• 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.)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

GALETTES COMPLèTES (BUCKWHEAT CREPES)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk 3 eggs with 1 cup water until frothy and uniform. Sift in buckwheat flour, and whisk until as smooth as a new can of paint. Season with salt and whisk to combine. Cover batter and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours).
• Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low. Ladle in 1/4 cup of batter, then quickly tilt the pan in a clockwise motion to swirl the batter all the way to the edges into a perfectly round, very thin pancake. The batter should disperse quickly; if it is too thick - and doesn't swiftly radiate to cover the width of the pan - you'll need to stir a few extra tablespoons of water into the batter and try again with a second crepe. Expect to lose the first two or three crepes as you get used to the swirling motion, the amount of batter to add and the hotness of the pan. When all three factors align, you can make six savory crepes in about as many minutes.
• When you feel you have the hang of it and are ready to go live, ladle in 1/4 cup batter, swirl and allow crepe to set for just 10 seconds. Crack an egg in the center, and use the back of a spoon or a small rubber spatula to spread the egg white, which will allow the egg to cook evenly in the amount of time it will take the cheese to melt and the galette to crisp. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup Gruyère across the surface, then tear 2 or 3 pieces of ham and set them flat on top, surrounding the egg yolk.
• Allow the crepe to crisp up and brown on the bottom while the egg cooks sunny side up, and the ham warms through, 3 to 4 minutes. In Brittany, these are cooked on a large, round cast-iron griddle, and the four sides of the galette are folded in to become a large square before being slid onto a plate. This is harder to do in a slope-sided pan, but try it if it suits you - you'll want to fold the sides about 1 minute before the egg is done cooking. Otherwise, an open round is just fine. Slide it onto a plate, and repeat with remaining galettes.
• Season with salt and pepper. Drink with hard cider, not too cold.

BUCKWHEAT CREPES WITH EGGS, HAM, AND GRUYERE

Steps:

• Whisk together flours and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a medium bowl. Whisk in 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, and 2 tablespoons melted butter; whisk until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Remove batter from refrigerator and whisk in remaining 1/4 cup milk.
• Place an 8-inch nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon melted butter and use a crumpled-up paper towel to spread evenly. Add a scant 1/4 cup batter and quickly swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
• Cook until edges begin to dry, about 1 minute. Using your fingers or tongs, turn crepe, continue cooking about 15 seconds more; transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat process with remaining melted butter and batter, stacking each crepe on top of one another as you work.
• Using a fork or a whisk, blend remaining 12 eggs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water in a large bowl. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add eggs and begin stirring with a wooden spoon. Slowly drag the spoon around the bottom and sides of the pan until thickened, about 5 minutes. Continue stirring until eggs have formed loose, moist curds, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside. Place a crepe, dark side down, on work surface. Layer a slice of ham, some of the Gruyere, and about 1/4 cup eggs on top of crepe. Roll crepe and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat process with remaining crepes. Transfer baking dish to oven and bake for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

BUCKWHEAT CREPES WITH HAM, GRUYERE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• For the caramelized onions: Melt the butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat until soft and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Stir in a few tablespoons of vinegar and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. For the buckwheat crepes: Combine the milk, 3/4 cup water, the flours, oil, salt, pepper and eggs in a blender and blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 8 hours. The longer it sits, the more tender the crepes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a crepe pan or 8- to 10-inch nonstick pan with some of the melted butter and heat over medium heat until it begins to sizzle. Lift the pan at a slight angle and pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the center, tilting the pan to spread the batter to the edges. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the crepe is golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook until golden on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover. Repeat with more butter as needed and the remaining batter. For assembling the crepes: Return a crepe to the warm pan. Spread some onions over the surface, scatter some grated cheese over the onions, and tear a ham slice and drop across the surface. Fold the crepe in half, then in half again to make a triangle, and heat through to melt the cheese. Serve.

BUCKWHEAT CREPES WITH HAM, GRUYERE AND FRIED EGG

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and lightly grease 2 baking sheets with butter.
• Add the milk, granulated sugar, 2 of the eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour and 2 tablespoons of the butter and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. (See Cook's Note.)
• Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush with butter, add 1/2 cup of the batter and tilt the skillet to swirl the batter evenly over the skillet. Cook until the bottom of the crepe is firm and the edges lift from the skillet, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is firm, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cover with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the skillet with butter each time. Wipe out the skillet after the last crepe and reserve for later use.
• Transfer a crepe to a work surface and top with 1/2 cup of the cheese, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all the way around. Top with 2 slices of ham. Fold the top and bottom borders in toward the center, pressing the crepe into the ham so that it sticks. Repeat with the right and left borders to create a square. Transfer the crepe to one of the prepared baking sheets using a spatula. Repeat with remaining crepes, cheese, and ham. Bake until the crepes are warm and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Crack the remaining 6 eggs into the skillet. Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 4 minutes.
• Top each crepe with a fried egg. Sprinkle with chives before serving, or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve with red currant jelly.