For a  crazy moment yesterday I considered postponing pancake day to another day, as the thought of sickening myself with sugary pancakes did not really appeal (I assure you this is true, I was shocked myself). Then I received a message from my good friend Emma who happened to be staying with me that evening and had just twigged what day it was. Emma was very excited about the prospect of pancake flipping and so I thought, who am I to stand between a woman and her dreams…..
 
I thought back to the glorious moment in Paris, when after a very long and stressful morning everything was made wonderful by this magical parcel of goodness I had clasped between my hands - a bolognese crepe. Even now as I type I am salivating at the memory, and those of you who laugh at me and mock the idea of such a thing being so delicous, I pity you for you have no idea. Not a clue!

Anyway, I was going to re-create my minced beef dream but I knew I would need a lot longer than a couple of hours in the evening to perfect a bolognese (it really is a Saturday/Sunday event if you want the real deal and I knew I would faff about and ignore my dinner guests), so instead I went for a similarly French themed ham and leek crepe. I say pancake above as it did end up being more of a pancake, so I didn't want to be attacked by any French people who happened to try this out!

I must say, it was a tatse sensation and anyone who is stuck on sweet pancakes should really have a go with this simple recipe. Would also be really nice with pancetta instead of ham, fried for a few minutes with the leeks.

Ham and Leek Pancakes

Serves 4

Vegetable oil

250g plain flour (can substitute half for buckwheat flour)

3 eggs

250ml milk

250 ml water

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

200g ham

4 large leeks, sliced

150g cheddar or other hard cheese of your choice

5 tbsp creme fraiche

Put the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs, milk and water and whisk together until smooth. Leave to stand for an hour and a half.

To make the filling, heat a glug of olive oil or butter in a pan and when warm add the chopped garlic and leeks. Cook for around ten minutes, stirring throughout. Season with salt and pepper and add the ham. Remove from the heat and stir in the creme fraiche and cheese.

Wipe a frying pan lighting with oil and set over a medium heat. When the pan is hot, ladle in enough batter to fill the pan, tipping the pan so that the surface is completely covered. Allow to set and then flip when the bottom of the pancake is turning golden. Cook for a further minute or until the other side is also brown.

Spoon the mixture into the pancakes, roll and serve with salad.