Pic of Creamy sprout, leek and smoked ham pancakes

Creamy sprout, leek and smoked ham pancakes

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Meat mains

Creamy sprout, leek and smoked ham pancakes

Main Serves 4 45 min
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

Prep time: 15 min
Cooking time: 30 min

For the pancakes

  • 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.

  • 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).

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.