Recipe for galette bretonne with egg, ham, cheese, and asparagus

Sally Pasley Vargas for The Boston Globe

Serves 4

BATTER

1½	cups light buckwheat flour
½	teaspoon salt
1⅓	cups water
1	egg
⅓	cup sparkling water or beer
	Additional sparkling water as needed

1. In a bowl, vigorously whisk the flour, salt, still water, and egg together until smooth and a few bubbles appear on the surface. Whisk in the sparkling water or beer until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

2. Remove the batter and bring to room temperature. Add more sparkling water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the batter is the consistency of heavy cream.

GALETTE

16	thin asparagus spears
4	tablespoons lightly salted butter, melted
4	eggs
2	cups grated Comté cheese
4	slices of ham, each cut into 2 or 3 pieces
	Smoked paprika (for garnish)
	Finely chopped chives (for garnish)

1. In a large skillet, bring 1 inch of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Cut into 3-inch pieces.

2. Over high heat, heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet until hot. Add 2 teaspoons of the melted butter, and swirl to coat the pan. Pour in ⅔ cup of the batter, and quickly tilt the pan to thinly cover the surface. Place on the burner and decrease the heat to medium.

3. Break one egg into the middle of the galette. With the fingertips of one hand, gently hold the yolk in place while you spread the white out over the crepe with a long metal spatula. Cook for 1 minute, or until the egg white starts to set. Sprinkle ½ cup of the cheese around the yolk. Arrange ¼ of the ham pieces on top of the cheese, and distribute ¼ of the asparagus on top. Let cook for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the egg whites are cooked. The yolk will still be soft. Sprinkle the yolk with paprika and chives.

4. With a flexible rubber spatula, loosen the edges of the galette all around the pan. Fold four edges of the galette in toward the egg to make a square, but do not cover the egg. Brush the edges with melted butter and serve. Repeat with remaining batter, eggs, ham, cheese and asparagus. Sally Pasley Vargas