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Regional series: La Bretagne
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Famous for many dishes, Brittany, which is one of the six Celtic nations and very proud of its roots, has one regional dish that stands out among all others: the famous crepes.
They are so popular they are enjoyed throughout France and one finds many little trucks selling them in every big city (the French equivalent of hot dog stands!). Come to think of it, they really are our PB&J (or cookies and milk).
One important distinction to make is that there are 2 very different types of crepes in that region. The first one, the most well known, is made with sweet batter and enjoyed as deserts.
The other one much less known is called "galette" and used for savory dishes. It is eaten as a main course of sorts and stuffed with everything from meats to eggs, vegetables and cheese. That batter is quite different from the one everyone knows. It is made with a type of buckwheat flower (called "sarrasin") and gives the dish a distinctive taste.
The interesting thing is that when enjoying this very specific meal, one does NOT drink wine. One drinks cider, preferably served in ceramic cups. Cider in Brittany has really nothing to do with what is known as cider in the US. It is not only sparkling but it is fermented and therefore has an alcohol content similar to beer.
This is how you make a Galette de Sarrasin:
The batter: Place 2 1/2 cups of buckwheat flower in a bowl (the higher the quality the better your galette will turn out), put a little well in the center and pour in 1 table spoon of oil (plain canola is fine), 2 beaten eggs and half a teaspoon of salt.
Start mixing it all from the center and slowly add 1/4 cup of water. Once it looks mixed, take a whisk and beat it for at least 3 mn. The result must be smooth with no lumps of any kind.
Let your batter sit for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
The filling depends on how much imagination you have but the "classics" include an egg (sunny side up) which you will place in the center of the galette then fold the sides, as well as ham, cheese or a batch of sautéed mushrooms, or any vegetable .... Be creative!
Speaking of creative, here in DC there's a little operation that opened a couple of locations in the DC Metro area, where you can get a taste of Brittany: Crepes-a-Gogo (which literally means Crepes Galore and they mean it…). The Dupont Circle location is a tiny place, just a step above the "crepe stand" in Paris (those are in the street) and has an extensive (albeit adapted to American tastes…) menu. One would weep for the absence of cider (which I have never seen in the US) but as American Crepes go they will delight you. Instead of cider they do offer espressos and chef Mourad Kacimi volunteered that they will also be opening a little kiosk across for the Verizon Center next week. A little taste of Brittany in DC.
Bon appétit!
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