Ham and cheese crepes

A couple of tender and buttery ham and cheese crepes with a green salad on the side make for a perfect light dinner! As light as I can do, at least. The crepes are small but very filling thanks to the stuffing made of bechamel sauce, melted cheese and nuggets of salty ham.

this recipe

PLAN AHEAD BEFORE STARTING IF NECESSARY

I am not gonna lie, this isn’t a quick 20 min prep recipe. Between making the batter, cooking a dozen mini crepes, making the stuffing, etc, it can be a bit time-consuming. However, I still think this recipe is worth it because the ham and cheese crepes freeze very well. I usually freeze half of the batch and it makes for a great snack or quick lunch, always at the ready in the freezer.

To help speed things up, you can plan ahead and prepare the bechamel sauce up to 4 days in advance and the crepes batter for up to 2. I don’t advise cooking the batter in advance because the crepes will become dry with brittle edges after staying in the fridge. If you do need to cook the crepes in advance, then follow the entire recipe and fill them. When the ham and cheese crepes are stuffed, they won’t dry out as much while being stored in the fridge.

WHY CHILL CREPE BATTER?

Well, technically crepe batter is supposed to rest at room temperature for at least half an hour (but preferably up to 2h). However, chilling the batter is mandatory if you make it in advance because the batter should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. While the batter is resting, each grain of flour will gradually absorb the liquid contained in the batter. The grains will swell which will slightly thicken the batter and make it more spreadable. This will lead to more tender and less brittle crepes. You can keep crepes batter in the fridge, stored in an airtight container, for up to 48h.

STEP BY STEP

→ MAKE THE BATTER

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the milk and warm it until it just reaches room temperature. Gradually whisk the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Whisk in the beaten egg. Sieve the batter into another mixing bowl to get rid of lumps. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the batter to rest at room temperature.

→ MAKE THE BECHAMEL SAUCE

Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 min, stirring with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and slowly but steadily pour the warm milk, whisking constantly. When all the milk has been incorporated place the pan back over medium heat. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture has thickened nicely, about 5 min. Stir in the seasoning.

→ COOK THE CREPES

Place a small non-stick frying pan with low sides over medium-high heat. Lightly brush with melted butter. Pour enough batter into the center of the pan to cover ¾ of its base. Then swirl the pan around, tilting it until the batter covers the whole base of the pan. Cook the crêpe for 1 to 2 min, until the edges start to crisp up and brown. Turn the crepe over. The other side will cook more quickly, about 30 seconds. Transfer the crepe to a plate and cover it with another plate placed upside down to keep it warm and tender. Repeat the process until all the batter is used up.

→ FILL THE HAM AND CHEESE CREPES

Spread 1 tbsp of bechamel sauce over just half of the crepe. Sprinkle a very small handful of diced ham and shredded cheese over the bechamel. Fold the crepe in half. Lightly press over the top of the filled crepe. Repeat with the other crepes. Check the full recipe to find out how to reheat the ham and cheese crepes before serving.

VARIATIONS

To vary the fillings you can replace the ham and cheese sprinkled over the bechamel with; diced cooked chicken and a good dose of paprika, strips of smoked salmon and snipped chives, mushrooms browned in garlic butter, wilted spinach,…

I cook the mini crepes in a small 20 cm (8 in) frying pan and the recipe yields around 11 small crepes. If you make them in a normal size crepes pan, around 28 cm (11 in), you will have enough batter to make 4 to 5 big crepes. If you make ‘big’ ham and cheese crepes, I would suggest rolling the crepes like a cigar after filling them (instead of folding them) for a more traditional look.

FREEZER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

With this recipe, I tried to reproduce the frozen ham and cheese crepes my dad used to make for dinner when he wasn’t feeling like cooking. He is a great cook who always swears by freshly cooked meals. But sometimes when he would run out of steam, or time, he would turn to the grocery store frozen aisle. When it came to frozen dinners, small crepes stuffed with creamy bechamel sauce and diced ham were one of my favorites. Frozen dinners were a rare occurrence so they weirdly felt like a comforting treat. I don’t think I’m tooting my own horn when I say this homemade version of ham and cheese crepes tastes better than the frozen ones. The filling is very similar but the crepes are much much better in terms of taste and texture.

However, it does take a lot longer to make homemade ham and cheese crepes rather than popping store-bought ones in a hot pan. I didn’t think the time versus effort was good enough to start making my own instead of buying them. I was going to move on from testing this recipe until I realized how well the ham and cheese crepes freeze. They are just as good, baked straight from frozen than just cooked in butter! Now I freeze half of the batch and that’s dinner sorted for the future lucky me. It’s so convenient having something ready in the freezer. I don’t mind making my own ham and cheese crepes if it means sorting out several meals in one go.

FREEZING TIPS

If you have a freezer and an oven, don’t hesitate to freeze the ham and cheese crepes. Fill the ham and cheese crepes and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet (that can fit in your freezer), as directed in the recipe. Make sure there is enough space around the crepes so that they don’t touch each other. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and leave it there for a couple of hours, until the ham and cheese crepes are frozen solid. Place them in a freezer bag and label it with the date. You can keep ham and cheese crepes in the freezer for up to 3 months.

You can bake them straight from frozen, there is no need to thaw them first. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and then bake the ham and cheese crepes for 15 min, flipping them midway through baking. If you notice that their edges are over-browning becoming too crispy, loosely cover the ham and cheese crepes with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Looking for other crepe recipes? Here are some of my favorites:

• Traditional French crepes (with beer in the batter)
• Savory breakfast crepes

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