Why eat pancakes only one day a year?

Pancake Day has come and gone, but the need to eat them still lingers on…….it was Pancake Day (or Chandeleur) a month ago in France (and I think in a lot of the world), and we did the right thing and ate pancakes that day.  As you can see, I’m really on top of giving you the latest recipe information by publishing this post only 30 days after the actual event! On the actual day, the air was full of flying disks every which way you looked.  Some made it back to the pan; others took a little detour to visit various parts of the kitchen. To make the savory pancakes, I used buckwheat flour, which is the traditional recipe from that pointy bit of France called Brittany, which sticks out from the rest of the country like a rather large nose.

Fillings for savoury pancakes

Buckwheat flour pancakes, or crepes, can be filled with all sorts of savory goodies: the traditional filling you find in all the creperies in France is called “le complet“.  It has a cooked egg with a still runny yolk, melted cheese (gruyere or comté), and ham in it. Basically, you can put anything you like in it, as long as it’s nothing sweet.  Sweet things taste strange with the strong tasting buckwheat flour. Here’s a list of possibilities, but the only limit is really your own imagination:

• grilled eggplant, chopped tomato, black olives and goat cheese
• raw ham and gorgonzola
• ratatouille and sausage
• sausage and cheese
• asparagus and parmesan-bechamel sauce
• fried potato chunks, bacon and cheese
• bacon, mushrooms, red onion (sauté these ingredients before adding them)
• and many more!!!

Why buckwheat flour is so great

If you can’t find buckwheat flour, never fear, as these crepes taste pretty good made with plain flour too.  The advantage of the buckwheat flour is that for those of you out there who are gluten-intolerant, the grain the flour is ground from is not actually a grain but a fruit seed which is related to the rhubarb family, so there’s no gluten in it.  It’s incredibly good for you too as it’s stuffed full of vitamins and minerals.  That way you can feel as though you’re eating something healthy under all that melted, gooey cheese.

By Lisa Watson

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buckwheat flour pancakes

How to make gluten-free buckwheat (sarrasin) pancakes and what to fill them with.

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

resting time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 -10 pancakes

Ingredients

• 160 g Buckwheat Flour 5.5 oz
• 20 g Olive oil 1 Tbsp
• 1 pinch Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 400 ml Water 1 3/4 cups

Instructions

•  Put the flour and salt in a bowl.
• Add the eggs and oil.
• Whisk while pouring the water into the bowl in a steady stream.  After adding half the water, whisk the batter well until all the lumps disappear, then continue to add water while whisking.  the amount of water I have given is approximate.  Keep adding water until the batter is very runny: runnier than honey, but not as runny as water alone.
• Leave the batter to sit for at least 30 minutes,  You can make it the night before and store it in the fridge until needed.

To Cook The Buckwheat Pancakes:

• Heat a round crepe pan (a frying pan with very low sides)
• Brush the pan with a little olive oil.
• Either use a ladle, or pour the batter directly from the bowl (if you are feeling brave!), holding the pan in one hand and the batter ladle/bowl in the other. Tip the pan gently from side to side to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Place back on the heat and wait until the edges start to lift and the batter sets.
• Gently slide a wooden spatula underneath the pancake and slip it onto a plate.
• The pancakes can be stored on the plate in the fridge for up to 3 days if covered well with cling-film.