Name: Ham and cheese crêpe bake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Crêpes; 120 gram flour; pinch of salt; 2 eggs; 70 millilitre water; 100 millilitre milk; 25 gram melted butter, plus extra for cooking; Sauce and filling; 1 medium onion, finely diced; 2 - 3 tbsp olive oil; 30 gram butter; 2 tablespoon plain flour; 100 millilitre white wine; 1 1/2 cup (375ml) milk; 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard; 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus a decent pinch of black pepper; 4 medium tomatoes, diced; 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar; handful fresh basil, chopped; small handful parsley, chopped; 200 gram shaved ham; 200 gram cheese, grated – Nici used a mix of Meyer aged gouda and Mercer aged cheddar (both award winners)

Ham and cheese crêpe bake

Nici Wickes' ham and cheese crêpe bake recipe is rich, cheesy and absolutely moreish. Serve with a fresh green salad for a delicious meal when you're craving something devilishly comforting

Serves 6

Prep

20M

Cook

50M

Marinate

30M

Total

1H 10M

This recipe first appeared in New Zealand Woman’s Weekly.

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Ingredients

Crêpes

120 gram flour

pinch of salt

2 eggs

70 millilitre water

100 millilitre milk

25 gram melted butter, plus extra for cooking

Sauce and filling

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 – 3 tbsp olive oil

30 gram butter

2 tablespoon plain flour

100 millilitre white wine

1 1/2 cup (375ml) milk

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus a decent pinch of black pepper

4 medium tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

handful fresh basil, chopped

small handful parsley, chopped

200 gram shaved ham

200 gram cheese, grated – Nici used a mix of Meyer aged gouda and Mercer aged cheddar (both award winners)

Method

Crêpes

1.Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and break in the eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the water and milk. Whisk to remove any lumps. Add the butter and stir. Leave to settle for 15-20 minutes.

2.Heat a frying pan. Add ½ tsp butter and run it around to coat the pan. Pour in about ¼ cup of batter and swirl so a thin layer covers the pan. Cook until golden, then flip and brown the second side. Transfer to a plate and repeat. You should get 6-8 crepes.

Sauce and filling

3.Preheat oven to 180°C.

4.Sauté the onion in the oil until soft. Add the butter and melt, then stir in the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes until thick, then pour in the wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the milk, mustard and seasonings. Keep stirring as it cooks and thickens – about 7-10 minutes. Taste and add more seasoning if you need to. Ensure you cannot taste any residual uncooked flour – keep cooking if you can. Set aside.

5.In a pan, gently cook the tomatoes with the vinegar and herbs. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes have cooked through and reduced somewhat.

6.To assemble, grease a round oven-proof dish roughly the same size as the crêpes. Lay a crêpe on the base. Spoon over some cheese sauce, a few tablespoons of the tomato mix, followed by some ham and grated cheese. Layer the remaining crêpes in the same way, reserving enough cheese sauce and some grated cheese for the topping.

7.Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

8.Rest for 10 minutes before serving in wedges or spoonfuls.

9.Serve with a green salad.