charlotteann

It’s true, I do. Paris was really awesome and I really enjoyed spending the 2006-2007 school year abroad there. I mean, it’s Paris. How can you not miss it? Well, not everyone loves it, and not everyone loves the French. Some of you out there hate the French, whether for a good or bad reason. Although I have to say, in my slightly biased opinion that most of the reasons are bad. And all of those reasons - good and bad - just seem like total clichés to me. I can’t even write about them without feeling like a tool, so I won’t. I will just talk about galettes.

Galette with ham and gruyère cheese

A galette, also known as a savory crêpe or a buckwheat crêpe, is really awesome like Paris but you can eat it. It’s like eating Paris. Actually, the galette originates in Bretagne (Brittany) where buckwheat was a cheap alternative to regular wheat, which was taxed. Buckwheat arrived via the crusaders from Asia. I guess religious wars can have their perks.

When we visited Bretagne and Normandy, we ate so many apples and apple-based dishes I can barely remember Mont St. Michel or the D-Day beaches. But when I was in Paris, I took a photography course near the Jussieu métro that serves the nearby Université Denis Diderot. Consequently, a crêpe-making superstar serves throngs of students across the street from the métro entrance. I unfortunately never learned this woman’s name, but she was incredibly kind and sold me several enormous, cheap galettes au jambon-fromage. The classic of course is the galette complète which contains cheese, ham, and an egg. I dislike eggs. My life is incomplete without them I know, so save your energy.

Following the recipe in Culinaria France by Andre Domine (recipe below) I whipped up a batch of galette batter substituting melted butter for lard. Moments later (like I was really going to let it sit overnight) I was enjoying the earthy flavor of buckwheat coupled with grated gruyère and Black Forest ham. Salty, gooey, good.

And now for the photos!

Butter on hand as the crêpe pan heats up

Sliced ham. Yum.

The first is always a dud, despite the fact I have worked at two crêperies.

After the first side is cooked and easily flipped over, add the fillings in the center of the galette

Fold it up anyway you like - I was taught the “square” and obviously lost my touch

Because galettes are best eaten immediately after they come off the pan, I suggest multitasking while you make them and set up a plate and utensils on a neighboring (cool) burner.

Recipe adapted from Culinaria France:

Pâte à galettes de blé noir

Makes 12 galettes

2 cups/250 g buckwheat flour
1 egg
2 cups/500 mL water
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp melted butter (or lard, if using)
Butter or lard for baking

Suggested toppings:
Sliced ham, prosciutto, slice turkey, goat cheese, grated cheese (gruyère or emmenthal are great), sautéed mushrooms, baby spinach, sliced cherry tomatoes, butter, salt and pepper.

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and form a hollow in the middle and whisk the egg into the center. Add the salt and water gradually as you mix. The batter should be fluid but not too runny. Let the mixture sit for 2 hours (or do as I did and mix in the butter [or lard] immediately).

Heat up a 10″ crêpe or circular non-stick pan and whisk the batter before cooking. When the pan is very hot, pour 1/2 cup of the batter into the center of the pan and swirl it around until it reaches the edges. I didn’t need to grease my pan, but if needed any cooking spray or butter will work. Traditionally, Culinaria France notes that lard and egg yolk were used to grease the pan before cooking. Holes in galette should form as it cooks. When the edges are browned and the galette lifts easily from the pan, flip it over and add cheese, ham, or toppings of your choosing. Salt and pepper may be added as well.

After about a minute or a minute and a half, fold two sides of the galette in towards the center. Make folding marks in the other two sides to help fold them in towards the center. Let the galette cook for a bit longer before giving it final flip to heat up the other side.

Serve immediately and enjoy!