Nigel Slater's buckwheat galettes, crêpes with apples, and mache salad recipes (2024)

Pancakes are too good (too soft, too satisfying, too simple, too cheap and too damn delicious) to keep for Shrove Tuesday alone. They are also a good place to start life as a cook. Iwas taught to make pancakes, crêpes, call them what you will, by the local butcher, who gave me impromptu cookery lessons in school holidays. "There is," he insisted, "no better way to get to know the heat of the stove." We spent a long afternoon making two dozen of them, turning the flame up and down, slowly becoming familiar with the way the pan kept and lost its heat. Too hot and the result would be charcoal spots on the surface, too cool and they would toughen like cardboard.

Pancakes are a recipe you need to get into the swing of. (Eric taught me not to be put off by the failure of the first pancake, insisting that the resulting soggy mess was the best way to season your pan for the task ahead.) Each time I make a batch Itry a little more or less flour, beaten vigorously or tenderly, left to rest or not. This last detail is something cooks have argued over for years. Resting the batter makes a lighter pancake, say the experts. The other camp insists that batter can be made and cooked within minutes. Your call.

One of my favourite cooks and writers, David Tanis, author of Heart of the Artichoke, tells a story of finding himself on the Ile de Bréhat, off the Brittany mainland, known for its ancient buckwheat mill. The mill was calibrated to move with the tides, and is used principally to make the nutty-tasting flour used for crisp French buckwheat pancakes.

I had forgotten the pleasure of the buckwheat galette – the firm but tender buff-coloured pancakes used to wrap everything from molten cheese to ratatouille. David reminded me that buckwheat grain comes from a leafy plant, not like the grass from which wheat is made. The galettes, as savoury buckwheat pancakes are known, are usually stuffed and folded into four. The recipe below is from his new book and is the perfect marriage – that of buckwheat pancake, ham and melted cheese. The author leaves his batter overnight. Belonging to the 30-minutes school I was suspicious but, having done it, I must say it does make a better pancake – softer, silkier and more tender. You know, a cook just never stops learning.

DAVID TANIS'S BUCKWHEAT GALETTES WITH HAM AND CHEESE

I have taken the liberty of including metricmeasures in the recipe for those not familiar with cup measures. Serves 4.

buckwheat flour 1 cup (160g)
plain flour ½ cup (65g)
eggs 2
milk 2½ cups (600ml)
salt ½ tsp
roasted buckwheat groats ¼ cup (45g), finely ground in a coffee grinder
melted butter about 2 tbsp
cooked ham 6 slices
grated comté or gruyère cheese 2 cups or 2 large handfuls

Whisk together the flours, eggs, milk, salt and groats. Put the batter in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight. Heat a pan over amedium heat. With a paper towel, rub alittle butter around the pan, then ladle in about 25g of batter. Let the galette brown on one side, then flip it over. Remove the galette from the pan and set it aside.

To fill the galettes, lay each one top-side down, place a slice of ham on top, sprinkle with cheese, and fold. Put the galettes on abaking sheet and drizzle with melted butter. Pop in a preheated oven (200C/gas mark 5) until crisp. Serve with the salad.

MACHE SALAD

Put the shallot in a small bowl and add the vinegars, salt and pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the mustard and oils. Pour the vinaigrette over the greens and toss gently. Scatter chopped eggs on top.

CRÊPES WITH APPLES, MAPLE SYRUP AND VANILLA CREAM

My own way with the humble pancake. Serves 6.

To make the apple filling:

Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Put in a pan with 4 tbsp of water and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in the maple syrup.

To make the pancakes:

Put the butter in a small pan, melt, then set aside. Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Lightly beat the egg and egg yolk and stir with the sugar, milk and the butter into the flour. Leave to rest for half an hour. Brush a 20-22cm frying pan with melted butter. Stir the batter then pour in asmall ladleful, tipping the pan so the batter just covers the base. Cook for aminute or so, until the underside is golden. Loosen with a palette knife, then turn to cook the other side. Lift it out and set aside.

To finish:

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Place a pancake on the work surface, spread with the apple filling, then fold in half then half again to give a plump, loose triangle. Place in a warm serving dish and continue until the pancakes and apple are finished. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Heat the crème fraîche over a moderate heat until melted. Stir in the maple syrup and a few drops of vanilla extract, stirring. Spoon the sauce over the pancakes and serve.