Ham and Cheese Crepes with Béchamel

Ham and cheese is one of the most popular savory crepes in France, and this baked version turns it into a proper dinner. Each crepe is spread with Dijon and a little béchamel, rolled around a slice of ham and some Gruyère, and baked under more sauce until the top is golden and bubbling. It tastes like a croque monsieur in crepe form.

It’s a good weeknight recipe because the work overlaps. Make the béchamel while the crepe batter rests, cook the crepes, and the rolling takes about 5 minutes. With crepes you made ahead, it’s even quicker.

Tips for baked ham and cheese crepes

• Warm the milk. Warm milk whisks into the butter and flour without lumps and thickens in a few minutes.
• Keep the béchamel pourable. It should coat a spoon but still run off it. If it gets too thick while you cook the crepes, whisk in a splash of milk.
• Sauce the bottom of the dish. A thin layer underneath keeps the crepes from sticking and stops the bottoms from drying out.
• Season the sauce well. The ham is salty, but the béchamel needs its own salt, pepper and nutmeg, or the dish tastes flat.
• Leave the sugar out of the batter. Savory crepes should be unsweetened.

Make it ahead

Crepes keep, stacked and wrapped, for up to 3 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer, so a batch on the weekend means this dish comes together on a weeknight. See Make-Ahead Crepes for how to store them. Short on time? Good crepes can be made from a box, too: see Crepes with Pancake Mix.

Variations

• Add an egg. Fold the crepes into squares instead of rolling, crack an egg into the center of each in the dish and bake until the white is set, like a Breton galette complète.
• Add greens. Lay a few leaves of wilted spinach on each crepe with the ham.
• Make it Mornay. Stir 1/2 cup (50 g) of Gruyère into the finished béchamel for a cheesier sauce, as in Chicken and Mushroom Crepes with Mornay Sauce.

For more cheese and cured meat pairings, see Crepes and Charcuterie.