A French Holiday on February 2nd!
French Lessons
For the last sixteen months, I’ve been studying French via Skype. My French teacher lives in the south of France. She teaches for Verbal Planet, and online language school. Each week we meet for about an hour, talking about the past week, the current week, and anything interesting coming up. Then we review my lesson’s homework, and plan for the following week. Pascale, my teacher is great. She loves cinema, food, and is very interested in the world of pastry. It’s so fun to discuss traditional recipes and customs with her.
During the Christmas season, she shared several customs unique to the Provence. I was especially interested in the Provence Brioche des Rois. Rather than the traditional Galette des Rois made with puff pastry and almond paste/frangipane, the custom is to make a crown shaped brioche decorated with dried fruits and apricot glaze (nappage). This year on January 6th, I made the Provence version which was from a recipe Pascale had shared from her family.
La Chandeleur
A few weeks ago, we were discussing crepes and she mentioned I must really like Fête Chandeleur. I told her a had never heard of it. She explained it a crêpe holiday! Here’s the history.
La Chandeleur is a popular holiday in France. It is celebrated on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas. The day that Jesus was presented to the temple of Jerusalem, 40 days after his birth.
History says, in the 5th century, Pope Gelasius offered crepes to pilgrims as a reward for coming to Rome to celebrate. It was also a way to use reserved excess wheat stores.
Even earlier, the pagen Candlelight Festival was celebrated with candles and torches where people celebrated the fertility of the land regained by the disappearance of the cold winter.
Why Crepes? (or Pancakes?)
The shape and color of the crepe symbolizes the sun and the return of Spring.
In preparation for La Chandeleur, I present my favorite crepe reicpe. I took the plunge and picked up a crepe maker with a flat surface and wooden turned/twister. You can use a small nonstick pan or a griddle.
I’ll add a link for buckwheat flour (Farine de Sarassin). Buckwheat is used for savory crepes. I use all purpose flour or Cup4Cup for sweet crepes.
I’ll link some the equipment for you:
Crepe Maker Crepe Spreader and Spatula
Buckwheat Flour (Yummly Bazaar is a great online shop!)
This recipe is perfect. The crepes are beautiful. Crispy edges, no spongy middle, and a fantastic taste. The best part is you are able to prepare the batter and use it immediately rather than needing to wait for two or more hours for the batter to settle and develop.
If you celebrate Chandeleur, Buckwheat (of Sarassin) are the most traditional crepes for Chadeleur. Buckwheat is not wheat, and may be more easily tolerated by those with gluten intolerance.
crepe on plate
crepe maker
Crepes Batter (Sweet Crepes)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk (1-2 T more to thin batter if using Cup4Cup)
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or Cup4Cup
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter
Favorite fillings such as Nutells, chocolate, fruit, whipped cream
Instructions:
In a blender, add together (in this order) the milk, egg yolks and vanilla, flour, sugar, salt and melted butter. Whirl in the blender for about 30 seconds, until smooth, stopping to scape the sides.
Heat a crepe pan or griddle/crepe maker over medium heat, until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup of batter into the pan and tip or spread to move the batter to the edges in a thin layer. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
Before folding, spread the crepe with Nutella or make it savory with ham, cheese, chives... the options are endless!
Crêpes au Sarrassin
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
butter to cook the crepes
Filling such as shredded cheese (Guryere or Comte), Ham, even egg. Salad/ Arugula mix for garnish
Whisk all of the ingredients together to make a smooth batter. Allow the batter to sit in the refrigerator several hours or overnight before cooking. I like to let the buckwheat rest to become tender.
After the rest, you may need to add more milk. The batter should be pourable, but not runny.
To prepare, heat a non-stick skillet or crepe pan on medium heat until hot. Using a paper towel coat the bottom of the pan with a bit of butter. Pour in a scant 1/4 cup of batter (for about 9 inch crepes) and tilt and turn the pan to spread the batter evenly. Once the top of the crepe is just cooked, use a spatula to gently turn it and cook for 15 more seconds. You may have to adjust your heat to get the crepes just right - they should be lightly browned on both sides.
If you’re ready to eat the crepes, add filling - not too much-, and fold. A savory crepe is usually folded in from each side to make a square, with part of the center showing. Garnish with simple topping of salad or arugula.
As you cook each crepe, stack and wrap them in a clean tea towel. This will keep them warm. Or you can rewarm them by wrapping in aluminum foil and warming in the oven at about 200 degrees F.
Makes about 10 crepes. Adapted (from Easy French Food)
Bon fête!
Susan
