When I was in Brittany, France I couldn’t get enough of their delicious savory crepes, or “gallettes.” I would go to a creperie every meal if possible, and often peek in the kitchen to see how the cooks made the crepes. When I returned to the USA, I still made them at home and at my hosts’ homes an average of once a day! It is a very forgiving and flexible meal, allowing for all sorts of substitutions, yet brings a sort of country French elegance to simple foods and is a great way to use up leftovers. This is my modification of traditional Breton gallettes. I never actually measure anything, I just throw it together, so the measurements here are approximate.

Ingredients

1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 c. water
Olive oil, cooking spray
or butter for pan
1 1/2 c. buckwheat flour or “ble noir” (flour only available in western France. I have it shipped to me from a creperie there- OK, I’m a little fanatic about crepes) You can also add a little white flour to buckwheat for a slightly lighter dough, similar to the ble noir.
1 tsp. sea salt or “sel de fleur”

(French salt is more flavorful, so you can use a little less) Regular salt works as well.

Instructions

In large bowl, mix milk and water together.
Slowly mix in egg, flour and salt until you have a thin batter. You can add more of the milk and water mixture as the dough congeals. I make the crepes immediately, but you can also let the batter sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Heat an iron skillet or crepe pan on medium heat until a drop of water sizzles.
Lightly oil the pan, pour a small amount of batter in and spread it around by turning the pan and/or spread out from the center with a spatula to make a large thin circle.
Add center ingredients (below).
When the edges underneath are golden brown, fold over three edges toward the center, making a triangle, yet revealing bit of the center.
Allow it to cook a couple more minutes and serve.

Here are some of my favorite fillings:

Traditional Breton Crepe
A whole egg (sunnyside up), ham and cheese.

Spinach, Egg and Cheese
Make a ring of pieces of fresh spinach. break an egg into the center, keeping the yolk intact. The spinach helps to hold the yolk into the center of the crepe if your pan is not perfectly level. Surround with a generous amount of shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper, fold edges over into triangle so the yolk peeks out of the middle. Cook until the white is no longer runny. You may prefer to flip the crepe or cover briefly to cook all of the white while still leaving the yolk soft.

Salmon, Goat Cheese and Pear
Cooked or smoked salmon and feta or goat cheese makes a flavorful crepe. A thin slice of fresh pear adds a nice sweetness. I also like to add nuts or blueberries!

Seven Cheese, Nuts and Berries
Blue cheese, goat cheese and a six-cheese grated blend work well together, but any cheeses you prefer are fine. Fresh or dried blueberries or other fruit work well, sprinkled with plenty of walnuts or pistachios.