Ham and White Cheddar Crepes
Wonderfully tender, delicate, and paper thin, crepes are straight-up luscious. These Ham and White Cheddar Crepes take brunch by storm, launching it to an entirely new level.
Ham and White Cheddar Crepes RecipeÂ
HOWDY! CHEF ALLI HERE. LET’S GET YOU COOKIN’…. SHALL WE?? 🙂
I can honestly say that until I created this recipe, I had never, ever made crepes. To me, they sounded time-consuming and risky, neither one a good idea to venture into when having brunch guests!
What I didn’t realize is that crepes can actually be made ahead of your brunch, kept warm in the oven for up to an hour, as long as you’ve place parchment sheets or wax paper sheets between each one.
And, technically, crepes are just very, very thin pancakes, so what’s the big deal? I just needed to move past my apprehension and wrongly pre-conceived notions, and I’m so glad I did – crepes are delicious, easy to make, and can hold all kinds of yummy fillings.
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Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Ham, and White Cheddar Crepes
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Milk, unsalted melted butter, eggs, kosher salt, all-purpose flour
These are the ingredients that comprise the crepe batter. It’s very important to make sure you let the batter rest after you mix it together so that the flour is absorbed into the wet ingredients. I always use unsalted butter when cooking, as I like to be able to add the salt to my preferred tastes in the recipe.
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Unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, milk, spicy brown mustard, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and white cheddar
These are the ingredients that go into the cheese sauce for your crepe dish. To make sure your cheese sauce comes out nice and smooth, use a flat, silicone whisk (as opposed to a balloon whisk that you’d use in a mixing bowl) to combine the ingredients, eliminating any lumps.
Easy Recipe Tips for How to Make Crepes Tasty!
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Why does the recipe instruct to let the batter rest for 20-30 minutes?
This is an important step of the recipe. Letting the batter rest allows the flour to fully absorb into the wet ingredients, allowing the gluten in the flour to rest and relax.
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What happens if you skip the resting of the batter? Will your crepes be ruined?
Skipping the resting of the batter isn’t apocalyptic by any means, but it’s totally the secret to producing the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth crepes on the planet!
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What if I don’t have a crepe pan? Can I just use a skillet for making crepes?
Absolutely! Use a non-stick skillet that has low sides and a heavy bottom. The low sides make it easier to flip the crepes and the heavy-bottom of the skillet ensures a nice, golden brown finish on your crepes.
Also, the size of your pan determines the size of your crepes, so keep that in mind when choosing your non-stick skillet. A standard crepe size is about 6″-7″ inches, but you can actually make them any size you prefer!
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Are there other tools that help with making crepes?
A rubber spatula is not absolutely necessary, but definitely helps when making crepes. At about 1-2 minutes into making a crepe in your skillet, look for a dry texture on top of the crepe – this is a signal (along with crepe edges that want to release themselves from the pan) that your crepe is nearly ready to flip.
A rubber spatula is very handy for loosening the edges of the crepe from the pan, allowing you to grasp the crepe with your fingers (gingerly!), peeling the crepe up off the bottom of the pan and quickly flipping it over. Take care not to touch the skillet during this process, of course. Also, remember that the second side of the crepe will cook about half the time as the first.
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What skillet temperature is best for making crepes? Does this matter? Why?
Making crepes over medium heat is important. If the crepe pan or skillet is too hot when you add the crepe batter, it can’t fully spread to the very edges of the pan before setting, most often resulting in an uneven thickness instead of the thin crepes you are desiring. Sometimes you may even need to lower the heat from medium to medium-low.
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Why do nearly all crepe recipes call for butter as the fat that’s included in the recipe?
Butter gives tons of flavor to your crepes and also provides superior browning. To ensure you don’t use too much melted butter in your crepe pan, (winding up with greasy crepes) use a silicone basting brush or even a paper towel to coat the pan with the melted butter.
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Are there any helpful or secret techniques used when making crepes?
Well, if you prefer super thin and tender crepes, once you’ve pour in the batter, carefully lift the buttered pan from the heat, tilting your wrist a bit so that the batter rolls to one side, then swirl the pan to coat the entire bottom evenly with the crepe batter.
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How do you know when to flip the crepe over in the pan?
Great question! About 1-2 minutes into the cooking process, watch for the crepe to begin to look rather dry in texture on top. Carefully check the edges of the crepe and see if they release easily from the pan.
If this is the case, your crepe is ready to flip! The second side will cook in about half the time of the first side, so be ready. The crepe is done when it’s golden brown on both sides.
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Should I make a test crepe when I begin the process of making crepes?
This is a very good idea. Just like making pancakes, the first crepe is rarely perfect – no worries. The first crepe is your test crepe to help you learn if you have the ideal amount of batter in the pan, if the pan is the correct temperature and how you can tweak your technique.
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What about crepe fillings? What should I use?
When it comes to crepe fillings, the sky is the limit, truly. You can make savory crepes (like this recipe) filling them with seafood and fancy cheeses, or as simple as warm strawberry jam sprinkled with powdered sugar. Even chocolate filling is a definite option to explore!
Other favorite recipes to enjoy –
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Glazed Breakfast Meatballs with Maple and AppleÂ
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Pulled Pork Oven QuesadillasÂ
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Black Forest Ham and Egg CupsÂ
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Easy Deep-Dish Ham and Broccoli QuicheÂ
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Cuban-Style Picadillo Over RiceÂ
Printable Ham and White Cheddar Crepes RecipeÂ
Ham and White Cheddar Crepes
Ingredients
Crepes
- 1 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- melted butter, for brushing the crepe pan
Cheese Sauce
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1 Tbs. all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp. spicy brown mustard
- 1/4 tsp. each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
To Assemble the Crepes
- 2 cups shredded, fully cooked ham
- 1 Granny Smith apple, skin-on, cored and thinly sliced
- 1-2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives
Instructions
Crepes
- To make the crepes, place the milk, melted butter, eggs and salt into a blender or food processor; mix or process until well combined. Add the flour and mix again for 15-20 seconds or until smooth; let batter rest for 20-30 minutes to fully allow the flour to absorb into the wet ingredients.
- Heat an 8-inch crêpe pan or a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the pan with melted butter.
- Give the rested batter a quick stir, then pour 1/4 cup of the prepared batter into the buttered pan, swirling the pan to fully cover the bottom of the pan with the crepe batter.
- Cook crêpe for one minute, or until it begins to curl around the edges. Carefully flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds or until set; transfer to a plate. Repeat with additional cooking spray and remaining batter.
- Layer the cooked crêpes between pieces of wax paper to prevent them from sticking.
- To finish the dish, lay a crêpe onto clean work surface; arrange a few slices of apple on a quarter of the crêpe; top with shredded ham. Fold the crêpe in half to cover the filling and fold in half again to create a triangular shape. Repeat with remaining crêpes, apple and ham.
- Place the filled crepes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and hold in a warm oven until ready to serve for up to 30 minutes.
Cheese Sauce
- Meanwhile, begin to prepare the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat; whisk in the flour until well coated. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until pale and smooth. Whisk in the milk, a bit at a time, until sauce is smooth; stir in the mustard, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Remove sauce from the heat, whisking in the cheese, a small handful at a time, until it is all the cheese is nicely melted and the sauce is smooth and glossy.
- Place the warm, filled crêpes onto each serving plate. Spoon the warm cheese sauce over each one; sprinkle with chives and serve at once.
Notes
Nutrition
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Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli
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