Made with buckwheat flour, the savory crêpe recipe is classic French cuisine. Known as the galette bretonne, this adaptable dish is quick and easy.
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When you think about crêpes, you don’t usually think about savory crêpes filled with meat and cheese. In France, and specifically the Normandy and Brittany regions, these savory buckwheat crêpes are a tradition.
A lighter meal rather than the typical French dinner, a crêpe-filled dinner will involve a crêpe salée (savory crêpe) as a main, and a crêpe sucrée (sugary crêpe) as dessert. Washed down with a jug of cider, it is the perfect meal at home or in a crêperie restaurant.
While crêpes are not difficult to make, there is an art to making the correct number of crêpes. The French saying goes:
And equally at the other end:
There is also a tradition of serving crêpes at during the celebration of Chandeleur, although those usually tend to be sweet crêpes, not savory ones (although never say never!)
Ingredients and Variations
The beauty of the savory crêpe is that you can put whatever you want in it. If you prefer fish instead of meat, or simply don’t like spinach, you can easily alternate with something else.
The traditional ingredients in a galette bretonne are egg, ham and gruyère, but other possible combinations are:
Spinach and goat cheese
Smoked Salmon, crème fraîche and lemon
Mushrooms, bacon lardons and crème fraîche
Roquefort, emmental and goat cheese
Potatoes, smoked ham and munster cheese
If you are using ingredients like mushrooms or bacon lardons, make sure to cook them separately first, before adding them on top of the crêpe.
Typically the cheese used is gruyère, but other cheeses such as emmental or cheddar will also do. Basically, you want ahard cheese, that won’t completely overpower the other ingredients.
What to serve with buckwheat crêpes?
Usually, savory crepes are served with a side salad. You can even serve it with a salad niçoise, if you want a hardier meal.
As I mentioned above, usually, most French people will have one savory crepe with salad, and one sweet crêpe (like the crêpe suzette) for dessert for a filling meal.
Traditionally buckwheat crêpes are usually served with cider. Fun fact: the cider is usually served in a bowl, not a glass! You could also try a light blanche beer or a sparkling crémant(white wine) from the Loire, but the classic pairing is usually with cider.
☞ READ MORE: Easy Guide to the French Wines
Savory Crêpe Recipe
Nassie Angadi
A simple galette bretonne recipe, otherwise known as the buckwheat savory crêpe from Brittany, France. With ham, cheese, and egg, you simply can't go wrong.
4.39 from 85 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 15 minutesmins
Total Time 25 minutesmins
Course Main dishes
Cuisine French
Servings 4
Calories 265kcal
Equipment
Le Creuset Cast Iron 10.75″ Crepe Pan
Tramontina Gourmet 3 Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
Christopher Kimball’s Power Whisk
Ingredients
For the Crêpe
1cupbuckwheat flour
1egg
45clof water
pinchof salt
1tablespoonof canola oil or butter to grease the pan
For the fillings
1egg(1 egg per crêpe)
2-3slicesof ham
80gof grated gruyère
Instructions
In a bowl, mix together the flour, egg, water, and salt.
Whisk vigorously until the batter is completely smooth and fluid.
Let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Chop the ham into small pieces.
On a hot pan that has been greased, pour in a scoopful of mixture for the first crêpe.
Turn the crêpe over and crack an egg on it.
Add 1/2 slice of ham and a portion grated gruyère cheese on top of the crepe.
When the egg white is cooked, fold the sides of the pancakes towards the center.
Repeat as many times as necessary to use up the crêpe mixture.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
This recipe should make around 4-6 crêpes. Please adjust quantities for additional servings.
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates are approximate. Each individual’s dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.
You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health. This website is written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
Keyword crepes, desserts, snacks
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
If you enjoyed that, check out our other classic French recipes and my sweet crêpe suzette recipe that will make an excellent dessert after a savory crêpe. Bon appétit and à bientôt !
Savoury crepes (called "galettes in French) are made solely of water, salt and buckwheat flour. This variety of batter is gluten-free. They are more savory than crepes and their color is brown. Galettes are generally filled with salty ingredients, although salted butter caramel can also be used.
Galette, which is more properly called Breton galette, is also the name given in most French crêperies to savoury buckwheat flour pancakes, while those made from wheat flour, much smaller in size and mostly served with a sweet filling, are branded crêpes.
The simple answer is that a galette is a savoury crêpe. Galettes are made with buckwheat flour instead of usual flour varieties. This gives them a slightly stronger flavour than a normal crêpe or pancake and also means they're gluten free.
The Crêpe bretonne can be made of wheat (sweet crêpe) or buckwheat (savoury crêpe). The latter is less well-known and should not be confused with the buckwheat pancake typical of Upper Brittany, which has a different recipe.
Crêpes are often topped with sweet condiments i.e. caramel, cream, chocolate and fresh fruits. It is often served as a dessert, which explains why it is smaller compared to its savoury counterpart. Galettes are typically savoury and made using gluten-free buckwheat flour as opposed to regular flour.
A personal and historical exploration of the famous French pancake's origin. Crêpes are an ultra-thin pancake common in France that can be made sweet or savory, typically rolled or folded with a variety of fillings from jam or Nutella to ham and cheese to seafood.
There are two main kinds of crêpes in France: sweet crepes (crêpes sucrées) and savory crepes (crêpes salées). Savory crepes are usually called galettes, short for galettes de sarrasin (buckwheat crepes). Crêpes sucrées and crêpes salées (galettes) differ in some key ways, starting with their batter (pâte).
The Galette du Rois, a French cake baked specifically in early January, does this in perfect style, to celebrate the Epiphany which is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on the 6th of January.
The main difference between the original process of making Sablé Bretons and Palet Bretons was the butter! While Palets were made with softened butter, Sablés were made with cold butter. The pastry chef started by mixing cold butter and flour, gradually adding other ingredients.
For this recipe, we use puff pastry to keep things super easy! What are the three different types of galette? The three most common types of galette are galette Breton, galette de rois, and fruit galette.
Don't skip the cornstarch in the recipe, to avoid a runny filling and soggy bottom. Drain the excess liquid from the peach mixture as you add them to the crust. Most importantly, be sure to cook the galette completely. The galette is fully baked when the crust is deep golden brown and the peaches are bubbling.
How do you eat crêpes? Crêpes are usually eaten with different kinds of toppings such as Nutella, banana, confiture, a sprinkling of sugar & lemons. If you want to do it the French way, try the Crêpe Suzette (with a sauce made of caramelized butter, sugar and orange juice, and Grand Marnier!
The galette des rois is a cake traditionally shared at Epiphany, on 6 January. It celebrates the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem. Composed of a puff pastry cake, with a small charm, the fève, hidden inside, it is usually filled with frangipane, a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs and sugar.
There are two main categories of crêpes: sucré (sweet) and salé (savory). The first type is traditionally made with wheat flour, the second with buckwheat (or sarrasin) flour. The latter is often referred to as a galette, instead of a crêpe.
Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) or savoury galettes (crêpes salées). They are often served with a wide variety of fillings such as cheese, fruit, vegetables, meats, and a variety of spreads.
Crêpes are an ultra-thin pancake common in France that can be made sweet or savory, typically rolled or folded with a variety of fillings from jam or Nutella to ham and cheese to seafood.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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