These buckwheat galettes will make a wonderful addition to any brunch menu.

If you’ve never made crepes or galettes, know that the first one most likely won’t turn out. Worry not. There is enough batter for 13 or 14, so you can mess up a few. For thin crepes with lacy browning, be sure to let the batter rest – this allows the flour to fully absorb the moisture and time for any air bubbles to get out of the way. To speed the process of getting a silky smooth batter, I try to use flat beer, but if you’ve just opened the bottle, that’s okay – just avoid adding any foam.
 

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2% milk
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, divided 1 tsp fine sea salt, divided
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup flat beer
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 3⁄4 cup buckwheat flour
• 3 tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
• 1 tsp champagne vinegar
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 handfuls arugula leaves
• 1 cup walnuts
• 12 oz blue cheese

Directions
1 In a small saucepan, warm the milk, 6 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar over medium heat until the butter melts; remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

2 Pour the milk mixture into a blender; add the beer and blend thoroughly. Add the eggs and blend. Add the pastry flour and buckwheat flour and blend again. Cover and chill the mixture for 2 hours or up to 2 days.

3 In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the arugula on top and set aside (don’t toss yet!).

4 In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, toast the walnuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until the walnuts start to darken and smell a bit more nutty. (Watch them carefully – nuts go from toasted to burnt in the blink of an eye.) Remove from the heat. Let the walnuts cool, then coarsely chop them; set aside.

5 Heat a 10" frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to medium and add about 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining butter, allowing it to melt. Ladle in about 1/4 cup of the batter, swirling the pan to completely coat the bottom. Cook, undisturbed, until bubbles form on top of the galette and the bottom is browned, about 1 minute.

6 Use a thin spatula or table knife to make sure the edges aren’t sticking, then flip the galette. Shake the pan vigorously to make sure the galette doesn’t stick. Cook until browned, 1 minute more.

7 To fill the galette, spread 1 ounce of the blue cheese and just more than 1 tablespoon of the walnuts on half the galette after you flip it. Once it’s cooked through, fold the galette over the filling. Transfer the galette to a plate and repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

8 You can layer parchment or waxed paper between the cooked galettes as you stack them, but I find they stack and come apart quite nicely if kept at room temperature. (If you want to freeze them, however, be sure to use paper to separate them.)

9 Just before serving, toss the arugula with the dressing at the bottom of the bowl to coat. Put a portion of dressed arugula on top of or alongside each galette. Serve while the galettes are hot.

Makes: 12 galettes