French Crepes

Today it's Candlemas, a very popular fest that we celebrate with crepes and cider !
Always scheduled February 2nd, exactly 40 days after Christmas, Candlemas is linked to the Christian religion, celebrating the presentation of the child Jesus, Jesus’ first entry into the temple, and the Virgin Mary’s purification. Many Christians consider Jesus as the “light of the world” so it is fitting that candles are blessed on this day and that a candle-lit procession precedes the mass. It is a tradition to eat crepes on Candlemas in some parts of Europe, such as France. Each family member prepares and cooks a crepe while holding a coin in hand. This is believed to assure wealth and happiness until the next Candlemas celebration.

Making crepes is very easy, and you will succeed in following my recipe, if you respect the quantities per ingredient and if you combine it as explained below. Now I suggest that you make crepes at home !

Ingredients :
250g all-purpose flour
500ml milk
80g granulated sugar
3 eggs medium size
1 tbsp sunflower oil
40g unsalted butter
A pinch of salt

Directions
Sift your flour first, and put it with sugar in a large bowl. Make a well, put whole eggs in the middle. Stir to combine. Add the salt and melted butter, and combine again. Check you don't have lumps. Add the milk little by little in keeping whisking until smooth. Add the spoon of oil at the end. 

 Reserve in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat with a drop of oil. Pour a ladle of batter. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coasts the surface evenly.

 Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve warm.

Crepes must be served warm with granulated sugar and a little lemon juice. 
Exquisite with home-made salty-buttered caramel cream, or with jams ie: orange marmelade or apricots  or raspberry. Children will love chocolate and especially Nutella which is not healthy at all but that we allow once a year !

 The drink which matches with the crepes is cider !
BON APPETIT !

Popular posts from this blog

"Petit Beurre" Baking Class in Paris!

Image
Petit Beurre (literally "little butter") is a small rectangular cookie invented in the late nineteen-century by Louis Lefèvre-Utile, the founder of the Nantes-based company LU. This man was the first to create a cookie manufacture in France. He was also ahead on his time in terms of marketing and advertising too.  More than hundred years later, Petit Beurre is still a highlight in the long list of French classics ! Petit Beurre is crispy, not too sweet and not too rich. It perfectly accompanies a cup of tea. You will easily recognize a "Petit Beurre" by the dents all around the edges, browned ear at each corner, and tiny holes on the surface as if pricked by a needle. Children say that corners are the best, starting to eat "les petites oreilles" first ! Of course you could go to the supermarket and buy a pack of Petit LU but.... just do it in your kitchen. It's easy and much more better ! To get a perfect cutting and also to print the su
Read more

Cheese cream filled savory choux pastry

Image
Photo : Valerie Szewczyk INGREDIENTS (for about 35 choux pastry) 125g milk 125g water 100g butter 100g gratted (comté or emmental) cheese 150g all-purpose flour 200g eggs (4 large) 200g cheese cream 60g of fresh aromatic herbs : tarragon, chive and chervil 5g ganulated sugar Salt and ground pepper DIRECTIONS :    Preheat oven to 170°C ( 340°F ) Prepare your cream cheese with finely chopped aromatic herbs : tarragon, chive, and chervil. Season with salt and ground pepper. Reserve in the fridge. In a pot, mix water, milk, butter, sugar, and a pinch of table salt. Bring to a boil. Once butter has completely melted, take off flame , and pour flour all at once , stirring constantly.  Put pot back on flame and continue to work it with a spatula for less than a minute.  Continue stirring and kneading until the dough dries out and stops sticking to the sides of the pot. Take off flame.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring energetically.  Fill a pastry bag with b
Read more

KING CAKE EPIPHANY TRADITIONAL CELEBRATION...

Image
In the beginning of January, French bakeries are filled with exquisite puff pastry pies that are called “ Galettes des Rois ” in France but also "King Cake" in the US. Epiphany is a traditional Christian feast celebrating the 'shining forth' or   revelation   of God to mankind in human form, in the   person   of   Jesus Christ.  The name "Epiphany" is a greek word meaning revelation. It’s based on the biblical story that tells of the Magi or   Three Kings   - Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar - who saw a bright star on the night Christ was born and followed it to Bethlehem… The Epiphany is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. At this occasion, families meet to share the traditional “galette des rois”. This puff pastry pie is filled with almond cream and... something else ! It’s time to find the kings. The French call it “ tirer les rois ”. The traditional galette is cut in slices (one per person sitting at the table plus one. The slice
Read more