I have a great fondness for the recipes that come printed on the back of packages. The cornbread recipe on the back of Quaker cornmeal? That was the first thing I ever baked, and despite having tried about 15 other varieties, it’s still my favorite. Ditto the peanut cookie recipe printed on JIF jars, even though I no longer eat JIF, and the oatmeal raisin cookies on the inside of oat canisters. I’ve made these recipes dozens of times, and they’ve always turned out perfectly. They’re the type of recipe that you can count on, whether you’re tired or crabby or only giving the project 37 percent of your attention. In my opinion, that’s because these recipes are the makers’ chance to provide you with an accident- and idiot-proof way to prepare something delicious with their product, and food manufacturers are smart enough to not mess that up.

Which is why I knew exactly what to do after panic-buying some buckwheat flour at the grocery back in March. There was no other flour on the shelves, I was running low at home, and that combination was stupefying enough that I felt compelled to buy buckwheat and chickpea flours, neither of which I had ever used.

Back home, my Chief Recipe Taster questioned precisely what I would do with said flours. I didn’t actually know myself, but a surreptitious glance at the package allowed me to save face. “I’ll make buckwheat crepes,” I said, attempting to hide my great fear of crepes, one of those things that have heretofore seemed too fussy to bother making myself. But I’d bought the buckwheat, which meant I had to use it, so a few weeks ago I embarked on a crepe-making adventure and was astonished to find that they’re dead easy. I served them with butter-sautéed leeks, the hardest part of which is cleaning the leeks, and eggs fried in the same pan as the crepes, once those were done, and if we hadn’t have had to do the dishes afterword, I’d have thought we were in a restaurant. I’ve made them numerous times since then, and they have yet to fail me. It’s a recipe that proves the rule: you can’t beat the recipe on the back of the box.

Buckwheat Crepes with Sautéed Leeks and Fried Eggs

Source: Pereg and I Thought There Would Be Free Food

Makes: ~8 crepes and serves ~4 people

Active time: 60 minutes; total time: 120 minutes

Note: This is my favorite way to enjoy these crepes, but they’re also very good with sautéed spinach; Gruyere and thinly sliced ham and apples; or spread with peanut butter and jelly.

Crepe Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Sautéed Leeks Ingredients:

• ~2¼ pounds (1,000 grams) leeks
• 1 generous tablespoon butter
• Salt, to taste

Eggs, for serving

Directions:

• Make the crepe batter: Vigorously whisk together the eggs and olive oil until the mixture is smooth and largely homogenous. Add the milk and whisk to combine.
• Add the buckwheat flour and salt, and whisk until you have a thin, smooth batter. It should be much thinner than pancake batter. Cover the batter and refrigerate it for at least one hour, or up to overnight.
• Prepare the leeks: While the batter is resting, remove the top few inches of green from the leeks, as well as the root ends. Remove any leathery or papery outer skins from the leeks and either discard them or stick them in your freezer scrap bag to make vegetable broth later.
• Halve the remaining leeks lengthwise, then rinse them thoroughly in cold water. Let them drain in a colander for a few minutes before chopping them width-wise into ¼”-thick sections.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the butter and let it melt before adding the leeks. Sauté them gently until softened, ~10-15 minutes, adding salt to taste.
• Make the crepes: While the leeks are sautéing, set a crepe pan or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add a tablespoon or so of olive oil, swirling to coat the pan. The oil should be hot and liquid, but not smoking.
• Working quickly, add ~¼-⅓ cup of crepe batter to the pan and swirl it to spread the batter into a thin circle. Let the crepe cook until the top is firm and not tacky to the touch, and the underside is golden brown. Slide the crepe out of the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• Check in on the leeks—they should be soft, but not browned or dry. If needed, add a little water to keep them from sticking. Once soft, turn off the heat and let them sit until you’ve finished with the crepes.
• When the crepes are done, heat a hefty glug of olive oil in the pan. When it’s hot, crack in as many eggs as you would like and as your skillet can hold, and fry them to your desired viscosity.
• To serve, spread a crepe with some leeks and top with a fried egg.