Brittany pancakes with ham and fried potatoes

Portions:

Ingredients

For buckwheat pancakes

½ cup (125 ml) buckwheat flour

¼ cup (60 ml) all-purpose flour

¼ tsp (1 ml) salt

1 ¼ cups (310 ml) milk

1 large egg

Vegetable oil, for cooking

For the fried apples

2 Honey Crisp apples

2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Quebec effervescent cider or apple juice

To serve

8 slices of ham

1 ½ cups (375 ml) grated Gruyère, Swiss, or strong Cheddar cheese

Maple syrup

Quebec effervescent cider or apple juice

Preparation

For buckwheat pancakes: In a large bowl, combine buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Add milk and egg and whisk vigorously until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

To make the pancakes, place a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Spray pan with vegetable oil. Pour in 1/3 cup (80 ml) pancake mix and swirl the pan rapidly so that the mixture spreads into an 8" (20 cm) pancake. Cook the crêpe until bubbles form on the surface and the edges are crisp, about 1 minute. Flip the crepe and cook the second side for a further 1 minute.

Transfer the crêpe to a large plate, then repeat the above steps to cook all the crêpes. (Crêpes can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month).

For the sautéed apples: Core and dice the apples. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter, then add apples and sauté 3 minutes. Add the cider and cook the apples, stirring for a further 2 minutes. The apple pieces will still be crisp. For softer apple pieces, increase the amount of cider (or apple juice) to ¼ cup (60 ml) and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat 1 minute to evaporate liquids.

Transfer the fried apples to a bowl. (The fried apples can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve).

To assemble the crêpes : Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place a crêpe on a work surface. Sprinkle ¼ cup (60 ml) of the grated cheese over the crêpe, then add 1 slice of ham. Fold crepe in half, then in half again to form a quarter circle. Transfer to prepared cookie sheet, then repeat steps to form all crepes.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the pancake is slightly crisp.

To serve, reheat fried apples if chilled. Place several spoonfuls of fried apples on each warm pancake and drizzle with maple syrup. Serve immediately, with a small glass of sparkling cider to match.