Meat mains
Creamy sprout, leek and smoked ham pancakes
Filled with melting cheese, sweet leeks and sprouts and smoky ham, these French-style galettes look and taste impressive, but they're simple to cook, and gluten-free. Vary the filling according to whim: this is also good with spinach or chard, and with Comté or Gruyère cheese.
Ingredients
for the pancakes
- 100g buckwheat flour
- 1 egg
- 300ml milk
- 50g butter, melted
for the filling
- 25g butter
- 1 leek, finely shredded
- 200g Brussels sprouts, thinly shredded
- 25g buckwheat flour
- 300ml milk
- 75g strong Cheddar cheese, grated, plus a little extra for sprinkling
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- small handful dill leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 pack of smoked ham
Method
For the pancakes
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Step 1
Put the flour and a good pinch of salt in a bowl. Crack in the egg, add a splash of milk and whisk together to form a thick, smooth paste. Gradually add the rest of the milk, whisking as you go. Add a teaspoon of the butter to the batter.
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Step 2
Use kitchen paper dipped in a little of the butter to grease a non-stick pancake pan (or a 20-21cm frying pan).
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Step 3
Ladle in enough batter to just cover the pan, rolling it around to spread it out. Cook on a medium high heat for 1½ minutes, until small bubbles start appearing and the underneath is golden.
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Step 4
Carefully turn it with a fish slice or spatula. Cook for about 1 minute more, until the other side is golden too. Remove to a plate, cover with greaseproof paper or foil, and repeat until you have 4 good pancakes (sometimes the first one can go awry).
For the filling
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Step 1
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the leek and sprouts and fry on a low heat for 10 minutes, until softened. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes.
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Step 2
Gradually stir in the milk, then add the cheese. Simmer for a few minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce thickened. Season and stir in the mustard and dill, if using.
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Step 3
Lay the pancakes on a grill tray. Lay slices of ham over half of each pancake, then add a couple of spoonfuls of the filling.
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Step 4
Fold the pancakes over, sprinkle a little extra cheese on top and grill on a low to medium heat, until the cheese has melted and the tops of the pancakes are a little crispy. Or you can warm them through in a medium oven if you prefer.