crêpes de blé noir

there's a small restaurant in my hometown called meli-melo that has the most incredible savory crêpes made with buckwheat flour. i've made dessert crêpes several times, stuffing them with things like banana, nutella, raspberries, or just butter and sugar; but have never attempted savory crêpes until i started cleaning out my pantry as i got ready to go home for the bulk of the summer. remember that kasha i was so baffled by? well, i had plenty of it still sitting in my cupboard and was feeling too overwhelmed from my last experience to try cooking with it anytime soon. so i decided, instead, to grind it up into "buckwheat flour" and make crêpes de blé noir, or traditional buckwheat crêpes, with it.

i would recommend, if you can, just buying regular buckwheat flour. i had terrific results with mine, but it took a whole lot of processing, sifting, processing and sifting again, in addition to having to tweak the recipe proportions to account for that intense roasted flavor of the kasha that i mentioned before. furthermore, flour made in a food processor is nowhere near as fine or as uniform as a purchased flour, so although my results were very good (in my opinion), they might have been better had i used a bagged flour instead.

i was expecting to have at least one failed crêpe as the pan warmed up and the batter settled in (that usually happens when i make pancakes, which are far less fussy than crêpes) but this batter was surprisingly easy to work with and cooked beautifully. this recipe suggests you keep them warm in the oven until you're done making them all, and then fill them, but i think they're best made to order (of course if you're cooking for a group, this is less feasible). since i was cooking for two, i had crêpes cooking in two separate pans at once. when two crêpes were ready, max and i would eat them and then make another round, which isn't a problem because these cook in about five minutes (plus this forces you to pace your eating!).

i also like to sprinkle the cheese on the crêpe within the last minute or two of cooking, so that it melts, and then add the rest of the toppings once it's been removed from the heat. making a little buffet of toppings on the table works nicely. we used combinations of chevre, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses (i think gruyère is more traditionally used, but i wasn't about to shell out $7 for a fourth wedge of cheese), shredded baby spinach, corn, diced cherry tomatoes, sprouts, sautéed red onions, balsamic vinaigrette, and thinly sliced potatoes fried in olive oil, and then rolled them up and ate them with our hands. so, so good.

other topping ideas: sautéed mushrooms, asparagus, a fried egg, capers, cornichons, avocado, radicchio, or ham or prosciutto if you eat meat.

crêpes de blé noir
from portland kitchen, adapted from deborah madison's vegetarian suppers
makes about 10-12 crêpes, enough for 2 people with a few leftovers

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsps melted unsalted butter, cooled, plus more for the pan

whisk together the flours and salt in a medium bowl. make a well in the center, add the eggs, and whisk them into the flours. whisk in the milk, water and melted butter. whisk together just until the ingredients are incorporated. cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for an hour, overnight if you can.

preheat your oven to about 200°F to keep the crêpes warm as you cook them. heat an 8 inch cast iron or nonstick skillet (or get two skillets going simultaneously, if you're feeling brave). butter your pan: i like to keep a paper towel and a stick of room temperature butter next to the stove and smear butter in pan with the paper towel. i also find it helpful to pour my batter into a large measuring cup (you might not be able to fit it all in right away) to facilitate less messy pouring. aim for about 1/4 cup batter per crêpe.

as you're pouring, use your free hand to swirl the batter into a circle. cook each crêpe about 2-3 minutes on the first side, then gently slide a thin spatula under it, flip it, top with your cheeses, and cook it about 1-2 minutes more, checking for burning. stack them on an oven-safe plate and keep them warm in the oven as you finish the rest.