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French Ham, Cheese and Egg Crepes, step-by-step

French Ham, Cheese and Egg Crepes

One of my favorite food memories from my trip to Paris a few months ago was going out late at night near the Eiffel Tower and queuing up with a bunch of other people to get freshly made crepes, then sitting in the park enjoying the lights of the tower while eating. The crepes were so good that the first night I had one, I ate it just after crossing the street away from the crepe stand, then turned back around and ordered another. They were that good. At home, I usually make crepes for breakfast and fill them with jam.  The street crepes, while sweet options were available, were most popular in their savory incarnations. I liked the ham, cheese and egg crepes best.

I was glad that I had the opportunity to watch the crepes being made because the process was a little different than you might expect. I fully anticipated that the fillings would be added after the crepe was cooked. Instead, they were cooked right on  the crepe itself – even the egg! A few practice runs and home with my own crepes, and I now I have a method that seems to come out almost as well as the crepes I had in France. The French crepes will always have the late-night Eiffel Tower advantage over mine, however.

Making the crepe

To make these crepes, you need a large frying pan, preferably one that’s about 12-inches across. A crepe pan is not necessary unless you’re going into the crepe business. You could make smaller crepes, but you might have to compromise on how you fold it to get all the filling it. It’ll still taste good, however. I used deli sliced ham and havarti cheese for these. Turkey meat is good, too, if you’re not a fan of ham, even though the saltiness of the ham really goes well with the egg and cheese. Havarti and Swiss are my two favorite cheeses for these, but feel free to use your favorite sliced or shredded cheese. The amounts given below are just suggestions, as I tend to eyeball the amount of cheese I’m using. No matter how you tweak the filling, you’ll end up with a great-tasting crepe. The batter can me made in advance and will keep well in the fridge for about 2 days, as long as you give it a stir before using.

I don’t usually provide step-by-step photos for recipes, but in an effort to recapture even a hint of the experience of watching a pro make crepes, I’ve photographed all the steps to go along with this recipe.

French Ham, Cheese and Egg Crepes
1 1/3 cups milk (I use low fat)
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until very smooth. This can also be done in a food processor. Set batter aside to rest for about 15 minutes before using. Batter can also be covered and refrigerated for up to two days.

For Filling, per crepe:
1 large egg
approx. 2-oz Havarti or Swiss cheese
approx. 1 or 2-oz Ham

Add some butter or nonstaick spray to a large frying pan (about 12-inches) and heat over high heat. Pour about 1/3 cup crepe batter into the pan and tilt the pan to swirl it around and coat it with a single, even layer. Once the first side cooks, flip the crepe and crack an egg right on top.

Breaking an egg onto the crepe

Use a fork to gently break the egg yolk, give the egg a gentle whisk and spread it evenly all over the crepe. If you’re worried about hitting the crepe during this step, you can scramble the egg in a bowl and pour it into the center of the crepe, the spread it around. Allow crepe to continue cooking until egg is set. Season with pepper, if desired.

Whisking the egg on the crepe

Spread a layer of cheese over half of the crepe. Allow it to melt for about 30-60 seconds.

Layering Cheese on crepes

Add a layer of ham on top of the cheese. You can use either a single layer of ham or pile up two thin layers.

Layering ham on crepes

Fold crepes in half, covering the ham and cheese side of the crepe with the side that only has egg on it. Fold crepe in half again, making a finished crepe that is 1/4 circle in area and packed with many layers of crepe, cheese, ham and egg.

Folding the almost-finished crepe

Serve immediately, either on a plate or wrapped up in a couple of paper towels if you want to brave the hot cheese and eat it “street-style: and start on a second. Skillet heat may need to be lowered slightly for subsequent crepes, but crepes should be nicely browned when finished.

Makes 6 large crepes (8 if using a smaller pan)

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45 Comments
  • hanna
    August 21, 2009

    Looks delicious. Thanks for the step-by-step!

  • Kalyn
    August 21, 2009

    I used to work in a French restaurant where they made these and I loved them! Great post.

  • Jenny Tan
    August 21, 2009

    That looks delicious! If you ever stop by Oregon in the summer, my friend, Tina has a booth at the Beaverton Farmers Market (on Washington and 4th st.) called the Zest Crepe. The crepes she makes are DELICIOUS!!! I’m not saying this just because we’re friends, but because I’ve got the opportunity to taste it, and I hope you’d too!!! 🙂
    http://www.zestcrepes.com

  • rotem
    August 22, 2009

    Looks delicious.You make me hungry

  • April
    August 22, 2009

    Delicious! I miss France for this very reason…haven’t had them for awhile. Thanks!

  • marie
    August 22, 2009

    Finally! a healthy beautiful brown (not pale, soft) near-crispy crepe with the MOST delish insides; THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR FAVORITE MOMENTS WITH FOOD from your Paris trip…photos were great! and yes, that was a marvelously different process!

  • mailorderbrides
    August 22, 2009

    […] French Ham, Cheese and Egg Crepes, step-by-step | Baking Bites Baking Bites–> About About Baking Bites
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  • Trish
    August 22, 2009

    THAT is my kind of a breakfast…or any meal actually.

  • Angela
    August 23, 2009

    Wow, wow, looks really delicious.. will try out soon and really glad to see step by step photo.

  • Annie Mouse
    August 23, 2009

    oooohhh…everytime I cook , eat or even see crepes I want to go back to Paris!

  • tracieMoo
    August 24, 2009

    This looks so delicious! Thanks for the step to step guide. I’m definitely going to make this for breakfast tomorrow.. =)

  • Pamela M
    August 24, 2009

    Can you make crepes ahead and freeze them? If so, what’s the best way to store them? I ask because most of the week I cook for one, and then only on the weekends do I cook for two. It’d be great to be able to pull one (or two!) of these out of the freezer for a quick and tasty dinner.

  • Jessica
    August 24, 2009

    These look delicious! I’ve been obsessed with crepes ever since I had some delicious crepes in DC! I haven’t been able to find a place in NY that makes really good savory crepes, so I’m glad you posted this recipe so I can try it myself!

  • Mimi
    August 24, 2009

    Looks delicious. Thanks for the step by step photos. With school staring soon, they will make a great out the door breakfast

  • Ashley
    August 24, 2009

    Mmm great tutorial these look awesome!

  • Sam@BingeNYC
    August 24, 2009

    Ham & swiss is my FAV crepe filling; now I’ll have to try your version with egg! Love savory crepes!

  • Sara
    September 2, 2009

    I made these tonight – bacon, egg, and smoked gouda for me and bacon, egg, and asiago for my husband – YUM! My husband said they were better than the ones we had in Paris. My only change was to lower the heat to medium – leaving it on high almost burned the crepe by the time the egg was set/cheese melted. Thanks for the great step by step instructions!

  • Kadia
    October 6, 2009

    Excellent site. It was pleasant to me.,

  • Ralew
    October 6, 2009

    Very cute :-)))),

  • Aferran
    October 16, 2009

    If you have to do it, you might as well do it right.

  • Onoeldan
    October 16, 2009

    Very cute :-))))

  • Astaec
    October 17, 2009

    Perfect work!

  • Jeroha
    October 17, 2009

    Excellent site. It was pleasant to me.

  • acetaminophen
    November 30, 2009

    Perfect work!

  • kıbrıscık
    May 16, 2010

    That looks delicious! If you ever stop by Oregon in the summer, my friend, Tina has a booth at the Beaverton Farmers Market (on Washington and 4th st.) called the Zest Crepe. The crepes she makes are DELICIOUS!!! I’m not saying this just because we’re friends, but because I’ve got the opportunity to taste it, and I hope you’d too!!!

  • Pambie
    May 30, 2010

    Another question: do you have a “print” button somewhere so I don’t have to cut and paste this recipe?

  • Crepe Maker
    November 24, 2010

    Oh my goodness that looks good! I’m going to make it for breakfast.
    Thanks!

  • Meredith Priesmeyer
    February 4, 2011

    Yum! I never thought to do that! YUM! YUM!

    I’m still amazed about the egg…whoa. I guess you have it on a pretty low heat when you flip it (before you put the egg on); so the crepe doesn’t burn?

  • Nicole
    February 5, 2011

    Meredith – Good question. Actually, no, the crepe can actually take a lot of heat and just gets nice and crisp. The crepe pans in France were definitely very hot because everything cooked very quickly!

  • Bonnie
    February 11, 2011

    Thanks for this one! Crepes are high on my list of favourite foods, and I haven’t seen them done like this before.
    Crepes au Chocolat are still my fave…I have a recipe posted here:
    http://food-ivore.blogspot.com/search/label/Crepes%20au%20chocolat

    Thanks again for sharing! I look forward to trying them!

  • Judy
    October 13, 2011

    Thanks for you recipe. They turned out great.

  • nowyat
    December 8, 2011

    The egg baked onto the crepe part was especially good. I made one for the parrot too, and he loved it as well. 🙂 You could even make the crepes ahead and go back to add the egg later.

  • P05H
    December 14, 2011

    Just made these and it’s absolutely delicious!! I’m eating it as I type. Thanks so much!

  • Charlie
    January 4, 2012

    Thankyou!! Turned out great. Perfect instructions and recipe! 🙂 I made these for my boyfriend and he now has a new favourite food :p thanks! Xx

  • Georgina
    February 11, 2012

    Wonderful instructions! I just made a variation of these for lunch and loved them. 🙂

  • Leslie
    May 2, 2013

    These were great. I made the egg, ham and cheese crepes for brinner (breakfast for dinner) 🙂 and then added a little sugar to the remaining batter and made chocolate and banana crepes for dessert. I just spread some Nutella and sliced bananas on the warm crepe and rolled them up and then dusted with powdered sugar and added some whipped cream on top. Delicious! Thanks for posting.

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