Ficelles Picardes

Pancakes

• Make the pancake dough by blending the eggs with flour. Then add the milk, stirring continually to avoid bulges/lumps.
• Spice the dough with a pinch of salt. If lumps persist, pass the mixture through soup blender.
• Let the dough rest for an hour in a salad bowl that is covered with a cloth.
• Rinse the mushrooms completely and then chop down in your blender. 
• In the chopped shallot butter, add the chopped mushrooms.
• Flavor the mixture with salt and pepper and let cook over medium heat. Stirring occasionally so that the mushrooms release all their water.
• When the duxelles is cooked, include the thick cream and adjust the flavor if needed.
• Cook the pancakes until lightly brown.

Béchamel:

• Over low heat, melt the butter making sure it does not change the color.
• Include the flour and whisk until you get a smooth paste.
• Include cold milk and cook slightly. Stir constantly until the mixture condenses. 
• When the béchamel sauce is smooth, flavor with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg on it.  

Finishing

• Dispense a pancake and put into it a slice of ham.
• Arrange in a form similar to that of a pudding of the mushroom duxelles.
• Roll the strings Picardes gradually, without pushing too much so that the stuffing does not dribble.
• Organize the strings in a baking dish.
• Addbéchamel on the top and dust with grated cheese. Next, bake it in the oven.

Note: The strings can even be made in advance to be baked in the end.

Trivia

Ficelle picarde ("Picardy string") is a dish of Picardy, northern France, comprising of a flavorful pancake loaded down with cheddar, mushrooms, and ham.

Though now considered a true Picardy dish, its roots seem to be in Amiens' l'hôtel du Commerce where a culinary specialist created it in 1950. However, a few legends still claim that the dish started in the period of Louis XIV.