Galette Bretonne with Mini Heirloom Tomato Salad and Apple Cider featuring My Visit in Britany

We make a lot of crêpes aka. Swedish pannekaker at home. I was starting to get a bit bored with making them the same way and remembered galette bretonne. It's a crepe made with buckwheat flour that I had when I visited my best friend Rachel's family in a small farming village in Brittany, France. I had it at a cafe and they told me that it was their (Breton) thing and it's usually accompanied with a cup of apple cider. I had it again a few years later in Paris, but it wasn't nearly as good as the one I had for the first time in Brittany.

I had some mini heirloom tomatoes and made a simple salad to go along with the galettes. These little tomatoes are addictive. I can eat a whole bunch of them at once.

My trip to Brittany was sort of unplanned, and I didn't really know what to expect with my little knowledge about France. We arrived in the middle of the night and by the end of the next day after seeing the village and meeting her immediate family and relatives, I quickly realized that Rachel forgot to mention that she grew up in a so called French Paradise. I was actually happy that she didn't get me all excited beforehand. It made it even more special and memorable.

I learned so much during the trip. I was pretty ignorant about France, especially Brittany. Since I stayed with Rachel's family, I had so many incredible opportunities to learn and witness the real lifestyle of the people, especially the culinary culture at home. They take their food very seriously.

One of the most interesting things I experienced was homemade apple cider. We bumped into Rachel's family's neighbor one day and he kindly showed us how he uses his press. This is one of those things that made my trip priceless. To see something so foreign, so old and so cool (it also reminds me that I should blog about my husband's mochi making experience in Japan. Later, later...).

Rachel's family also has an old barn where they make their own cider.

I had these sorts of experiences throughout my trip that made me feel like I was living in an article from Sunset Magazine or something. It is such a charming place with such warm and charming people. It'd be lovely to go back again and catch up with Rachel and her family.

Recipe:

Galette (makes 5-10)

1 cup of buckwheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 eggs
2 cups of cold whole milk
3 tbsp. of melted butter


Topping (per Galette)

3-5 slices of presciutto
1 egg
1/2 cup of shredded emmental cheese
goat cheese (optional)

Whisk eggs, add milk and butter and mix it well with flours. Heat an oiled/buttered pan with high-med heat and spread the mixture thinly.

Bake both sides and top it with cheese, egg and ham. Fold the sides in and make a square shape. Preheat the oven at 425 degrees and bake it until the egg white is cooked.



Heirloom Tomato Salad

10-15 mini heirloom tomatoes
a bunch of radish (optional)
2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic
pepper
mint leaves

Cut the tomatoes in half. Add salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil. Top it with chopped mint leaves. Make sure to add a generous amount of salt. It tastes way better.