Something different for Pancake Day ‘Ficelles Picardes’

Ficelles Picardes - Delicieux!

On Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday I love to cook this fabulous recipe my French friend, Francoise gave me some years ago when I lived in France. Francoise comes from Amiens in the Picardy area of northern France and this is a traditional recipe from that area. The pancakes or crepes, make a savoury dish called ‘Ficelles Picardes’ – which translates as ‘Picardy strings’. 

I use Grandma’s recipe for the pancakes which always works a treat. The pancakes, together with a slice of ham are stuffed with mushrooms, then covered with crème fraiche, sprinkled with Gruyere cheese and cooked in a casserole dish in the oven until they are crisp and bubbling.  Superbe!

Ficelles Picardes   

For the pancakes :

125g/4 ½ oz plain flour

3 eggs

1 pinch salt

275ml ( approx ½ pint) milk

Melted butter or oil for frying

To make the batter, place the flour, salt and eggs in a basin and mix well. Add enough milk to make a thin batter. Then leave to stand. Then make about 8 individual small pancakes. Heat the butter or oil in a small frying pan until very hot. Pour enough batter to cover the base. Cook each side in turn. Leave the pancakes to cool and prepare the mushroom mixture.

For the filling and topping

2 shallots (finely chopped)

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 Lemon  - juice

8 slices ham

6-8 mushrooms

Salt and pepper

3 dsps crème fraiche

Gruyere cheese (grated)

A little butter

Fry the chopped mushrooms in butter and lemon juice, add the shallot, parsley and salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 dsp of cream fraiche.  Place a slice of the ham on each pancake and then some of the mushroom mixture. Roll up each pancake and arrange together in a heat proof dish.

Pour the crème fraiche into the frying pan with a little butter to warm through.  Now pour it over the pancakes and sprinkle with grated Gruyere cheese. Brown lightly, either under the grill or on the top shelf of a hot oven. The pancakes can be made and stuffed in advance then finished off with the crème fraiche and cheese before serving.

Traditional pancakes 

For more Pancake recipes take at look at some traditional Pancakes I found in an old newspaper cutting in Grandma’s collection. Whether you're enjoying savoury pancakes or traditional pancakes with orange juice, have a good time flippin' pancakes on Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday. 

Bon appétit!