Baked Pancakes with Spinach, Cream and Gruyère

The secret of this recipe is to make a very fine pancake mixture: thin enough to spread in the pan but thick enough to cook. Unfortunately only practice makes perfect in achieving this!

Preparation time :	1 hour
Cooking time :	20 minutes
Total time :	1 hour 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

100g plain flour
2 eggs
200ml whole milk
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
50g unsalted butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
400ml whipping cream
A pinch grated nutmeg
50g gruyère, finely grated

Filling
40g unsalted butter
300g spinach, washed and dried, stalks removed
200g button mushrooms, in 3mm-thick slices
50g gruyère

Method

1. For the pancake batter, put the flour in a mixing bowl, make a well and crack the eggs into it; season. Whisk the eggs, incorporating the flour little by little. Thin the mixture with a little milk, then gradually pour in the rest of it, whisking continuously. Add the herbs. Separately, heat the butter in a small pan until golden and foaming, then add it to the batter, whisking all the time. Reserve in the fridge until needed.
2. For the filling, melt 20g butter in a frying pan on a high heat and throw in the spinach. Cook, stirring all the time, for 2 minutes; season. Drain and chop the spinach; reserve. On a high heat, heat the remaining butter and cook the mushrooms for 2 minutes. Season. Mix with the spinach and stir in the Gruyère. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Have ready a spatula, and a tray to place the pancakes on once cooked. Heat an 18cm frying pan over a medium heat, and add 1 tsp oil. Swirl the oil around. (If the pancake batter has separated, give it a whisk.) Add just enough batter to the hot pan to cover the surface when swirled. Cook for 15–20 seconds. Slide the spatula underneath and flip the pancake over. Cook for a further 15–20 seconds. Repeat until all the batter is used up – you should have 8 thin pancakes.
4. Divide the filling between the pancakes, roll up tightly and place in a gratin dish. Bring the whipping cream to a rolling boil, add the nutmeg and season. Pour the cream over the pancakes and scatter the cheese over the top. Bake the pancakes for 20 minutes until golden.

Drinks recommendation

A chardonnay from the cool-climate of Poitou has plenty of freshness and incision to point up these luscious pancakes.