Layered Crêpe Gâteau with Prosciutto, Ham, and Cheese

Name: Layered Crêpe Gâteau with Prosciutto, Ham, and Cheese
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 3/4 cup milk; 2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for frying; 3 eggs; 1 cup flour; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as any combination of tarragon, thyme, chives, and parsley, optional; 3 tablespoons butter, plus 1 teaspoon softened butter; 3 tablespoons flour; 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk; Salt and pepper; Freshly grated nutmeg; 8 herb crêpes; Béchamel sauce (about 1 cup); 3 ounces thinly sliced baked ham (smoked or unsmoked); 4 ounces grated Comté or Gruyère cheese; 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 1 garlic clove, minced; 2 medium or 4 roma tomatoes, seeded and smoked (see smoking technique, p. 293), finely chopped; 1/2 cup white wine; 1 sprig basil, thyme, rosemary, or tarragon; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons softened butter; Salt and pepper

December 14, 2011

This recipe is an adaptation of a dish from the Troisgros Brothers, a famous restaurant in Lyon. The “gâteau” is a stack of delicate crêpes layered with creamy béchamel sauce, Gruyère or Comté cheese, ham, and prosciutto. There are countless variations to this elegant dish. You can use plain crêpes or herbed, as I do here. I sometimes make a more “locally flavored” version by folding crayfish and spinach into the béchamel (and omitting the hams). The key is cooking the assembled gâteau until it’s bubbly and brown. I like to serve this with a deeply flavored Smoked-Tomato Butter (p. 63), but this dish is great on its own. For a quick assembly, make the sauce and the crêpes a day or two in advance. Wrap the crêpes in plastic wrap and freeze until needed.

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