In search of the perfectly formed crepe

NEW YORK — Let’s play a word association game. When I say crepe, what’s the first word that comes to mind? Maybe it’s France. Perhaps it’s pancake. But I bet a lot of you are thinking thin.

The crepe’s most famous quality is its lack of height — in the popular imagination, crepes are as thin and translucent as tissues. (Why do you think it’s called crepe paper?) But their reputation does a disservice to home cooks who want to bring a little Francophilia into their lives. If you attempt to make a paper-thin crepe, it will tear and end up looking like scrambled eggs — I don’t care how nonstick your pan is, or how well honed your flipping skills are.

Give up on thinness as your ultimate goal when you’re making crepes, and worry more about whether it will have enough body to hold your filling of choice.

How to achieve the perfectly formed crepe? The batter should flow easily, but it shouldn’t be watery. The pan should be well lubricated with butter, and the heat should be medium-high. Finally, you should aim for a thickness such that the top of the crepe will very quickly start to bubble and turn matte — there should be no trace of shininess left by the time you flip it. You may mess up your first crepe or two, but that’s OK! Hide the disaster from your loved ones and nosh on it while you’re cooking the rest of the batch.

As for the crepes that survive intact, you may be tempted to fill them with Nutella, or ice cream, or strawberry jam, or all of the above. Please resist this temptation. For some reason, sweet crepes are the ones that have translated most easily between France and America, but the best French crepes are the savory ones, which remain as underappreciated on these shores as French pop icon Johnny Hallyday. Known as galettes, these savory crepes are made from a buckwheat flour batter, which offers a pleasantly nutty flavor. I offer you galettes stuffed with Gruyere, peas, leeks and mint and folded into quarters. The filling combination isn’t traditional, but it is good, and it’s just the thing to welcome spring.

Buckwheat Crepes With Peas, Leek,and Gruyere

Yield: 8 crepes; Time: About 2 hours, largely unattended

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 1/3 cups milk

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

Salt

1 leek, white and light green parts, chopped

Black pepper

1 cup peas

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 6 ounces)

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low.

Put milk, eggs, both flours in a blender with the melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium. When melted, add leek and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the peas, cook 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mash. Stir in the mint.

Put about 1 teaspoon of butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high. When melted, add enough batter to cover the bottom in a thin, opaque layer. Cook until the top is no longer shiny, about 45 seconds, then flip and cook for about 45 seconds. Transfer to a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and return a crepe to the skillet. Top with 3 tablespoons of Gruyere and 3 tablespoons of the pea mixture. Fold in half and cook until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold the crepe in half again and serve. Repeat with remaining crepes.