A lacy buckwheat crêpe folded around ham, melted cheese and a soft egg. Brittany's everyday lunch, crisp at the edges and nutty, with a batter of buckwheat flour, water and salt, so it's naturally gluten-free.
I make galettes here, and dry cider goes with them, the way it does at any crêperie. Canada has lots of small artisanal cideries, and their cider tastes slightly different from what you drink in Brittany. Breton cider is made from bitter cider apples and tastes earthier and a little tannic; many cideries here press eating apples, so the cider comes out crisper and fruitier. With a salty galette full of ham and melted cheese, that brightness works very well.
A galette complète is a thin buckwheat crêpe, crisp and lacy at the edges, with ham, grated cheese and an egg cooked right on it, then folded into a square so the yolk shows in the middle. It's the everyday lunch of Brittany, and the first thing on the menu at any crêperie in France.
Which buckwheat flour makes lacy galettes?
The batter is buckwheat flour, water and salt, so the flour decides everything. Finer, lighter buckwheat flour gives the lacy edges; dark, coarse flour makes a heavier, greyer galette. Quebec stores have the widest choice, and whole-grain flour from elsewhere works if you thin the batter a little more.
Which pan?
You don't need a flat crêpe griddle. A 24 cm carbon-steel crêpe pan gets hot enough for crisp edges: de Buyer's Blue Steel is on Amazon.ca, its Mineral B version on Walmart.ca, and Ares Cuisine in Quebec carries a Le Creuset cast-iron crêpe pan. A 24 cm non-stick frying pan with low sides works too, with a little less crunch.
Making it in Canada
The 3 French ingredients, and what to buy for them in Canada.
Farine de blé noir (sarrasin)→Buckwheat flour, the lightest you can find
Breton galettes are 100% buckwheat. Lighter, finer flour gives lacier galettes; dark whole-grain flour makes a heavier, earthier galette and drinks more water, so add a splash more.
🛒 In Quebec, Metro and Super C carry Moulin Bleu pure buckwheat flour, and Metro also has La Milanaise. Elsewhere, Walmart sells Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Buckwheat Flour (623 g), and Sobeys lists Farm Boy's 1 kg bag.
Jambon blanc is plain cooked ham. Black Forest and toupie hams are smoked and take over the galette. Look for 'cooked ham' or 'jambon cuit' on the label.
🛒 Mastro prosciutto cotto, an Italian-style cooked ham, is sold pre-sliced at Sobeys and by weight at Real Canadian Superstore.
Emmental râpé→A block of Swiss cheese, grated at home
Emmental râpé is the bag every French fridge has. Here, the everyday match is the mild Swiss-type block in the dairy case: grate it yourself, since bagged shreds are coated to stop clumping and melt less smoothly. Gruyère gives a stronger, nuttier galette.
🛒 For French Emmental, Walmart sells Président's 220 g wedge and Costco a 750 g bag of Président shredded Emmental. In Quebec, Metro carries Swiss-style blocks from the Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, such as Frère Jacques. Emmi Swiss Gruyère (150 g) is at Walmart.
Good to know: Buckwheat has no gluten, but some flours are milled alongside wheat. If you need the galettes strictly gluten-free, buy a bag marked gluten-free, such as Bob's Red Mill's 453 g at Sobeys.
Ready to cook?
Buckwheat Galette with Ham, Cheese and Egg
Galette complète
A lacy buckwheat crêpe folded around ham, melted cheese and a soft egg. Brittany's everyday lunch, crisp at the edges and nutty, with a batter of buckwheat flour, water and salt, so it's naturally gluten-free.
Prep time
15 min
Cook time
40 min
Resting time
2 hr
Total time
2 hr 55 min
Servings
6
Rest the batter for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
Ingredients
Original recipe: 6 servings.
Instructions
Make the batter. Mix the buckwheat flour and salt. Whisk in the egg (if using) and half the water to make a thick, smooth paste, then whisk in the rest of the water until the batter is like whipping cream.
Rest. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Whisk again before using; add water if it has thickened.
Heat the pan. Heat a 24 cm crêpe pan or low-sided non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and brush with melted butter.
Cook the galette. Pour in about 70 mL of batter and swirl to cover the pan thinly. Cook 2 minutes, until the edges lift and turn lacy and brown.
Fill. Turn the heat to medium. Without flipping, crack an egg into the middle and spread the white with the back of a spoon. Add a slice of ham around the yolk and a handful of cheese.
Fold. Cook 2–3 minutes, until the white is set and the cheese is melting. Fold the four sides in to make a square, leaving the yolk visible. Brush the edges with butter, season with pepper and slide onto a plate.
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Notes
Makes about 10 galettes in a 24 cm pan. Fill 6, and eat the rest warm with salted butter or keep them for the next day.
Batter keeps 3 days in the fridge. Cooked plain galettes keep 2 days, stacked and wrapped; reheat in a buttered pan and fill.
If the galette is thick and floppy, whisk a little water into the batter. If it tears when you lift the edge, the pan isn't hot enough.
Other classic fillings: goat cheese and honey, or leeks softened in cream. French andouille is another Breton favourite, but the Cajun andouille sold here is a different, spicy smoked sausage, so leave it out.
For the cider, look for brut (dry) on the label. The SAQ lists Quebec bruts such as Cidre St-Nicolas Brut and Noble Pépin Cidre Brut; at the LCBO, check the sweetness code: Galipette Cidre Brut, despite the name, is listed as medium-sweet. In other provinces, ask at your provincial liquor store or buy from a local cidery.
Course: Mains · Cuisine: French · Adapted for Canadian kitchens
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