We were back in France last summer, settled in an apartment in Nantes in the very building where writer Jules Verne was born, to await the even more important birth of our first grandchild. After little Louisianne arrived, we spent equal time admiring her and deciding where and what to eat each day.
We were tempted several times by le Nouveau Monde, the cozy red-and-gold restaurant on the ground floor of our building. The menu paid homage to Verne and we had several blissful meals there. We got to know the staff members, who waved to us every time we passed by, and they slipped us several free surprises during our meals. We ate one of the best dishes we've ever had there one night -- a much-lighter-than-air Mousseline du Salmon -- and were eternally tempted by the desserts, which always included the Breton specialty of crêpes.
But it was to the crêperies that lined the narrow streets of Nantes that we went for galettes -- the Breton term for main-dish crêpes. The city must have two dozen restaurants that feature these crêpes made with buckwheat flour, filled with various ingredients and folded into a crispy, square envelope.
Our son-in-law, Damien Sadrant, is a wonderful cook and galettes are one of his specialties. One evening, as Louisianne observed us from her reclining bouncy chair, Damien put on a galette party. I watched him mix up the batter and expertly swirl it quickly around the crêpe pan (like a low-sided skillet) and produce perfect galettes, filled with scallops and crème fraîche, andouille sausage or the traditional complet, a trio of ham, gruyère cheese and egg. I even poured one lopsided galette myself.
Back home, after hugs and kisses to the family and fond farewells to the guys at le Nouveau Monde, I tried to make galettes. I tried and I tried, I yelled and I screamed, and finally, after four attempts, produced an acceptable result.
I found that Bob's Red Mill buckwheat flour, which I bought at our nearby co-op, seemed less heavy than other brands and I cheated and added some wheat flour to lighten the finished product.
You don't need a crêpe pan to make these, although it may help. The trick is keeping the batter thin (so that the galettes will be paper-thin) and working very quickly. Use ingredients of your choice, start out with small amounts, so that the galette is easier to fold, and keep ingredients close at hand as the galettes cook. If the galettes are too thick to fold, just cook them on one side and fill.
Anne Gillespie Lewis is a Minneapolis author.
