Crêpe anyone? The authentic sweet French thin pancake.

The genuine, tried and tasted crêpes recipe!

This is a recipe for the Chandeleur!  But what it is? it is basically on of our crêpe day in France, like Fat Tuesday in March, but this one is always on February 2nd. It falls 40 days after Christmas, and it celebrates light. Chandeleur comes from the word chandelle: candle. There are several origins dating as far as the middle age : one being that lighting the candles is a mean of purifying life; another celebrates the lengthening of the daylight; another one is also celebrating the coming of the new growing season as some cereals get planted in february, and the leftover grains are milled in flour – the basic ingredient for the crêpe. I personally like the last one as it makes sense.

Pieter Aertsen, 1560, Les Crêpes.
Musée Boijmans Van Beuningen Rotterdam

Back to 2014 – when I post this recipe: how funny it is that the SuperBowl is on crêpe day… Which make it a great opportunity to do a kitchen workshop for the kids while watching the SuperBowl! Or simply baking a pile in advance and enjoying them during the game. We usually drink cider with it, but beer should work just as well, today!

So I have this very easy and delicious recipe that I want to share with you:

The Crêpes recipe:

• Easy
• For 15 crêpes
• Preparation: 10 minutes
• Rest : 45 minutes minimum
• Cooking: 30 to 45 minutes (3 minutes / crêpe)
• 1 or 2 frying pan
• 1 bowl
• 1 whisk
• 1 ladle
• 1 spatula

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs
• 2 cups of flour
• 3 cups of milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp of butter

Steps:

1. In a bowl (or mixing bowl) put flour, eggs and add milk slowly while whisking (or mixing).  
2. When these ingredients are well incorporated, continue whisking adding the sugar, the oil and the salt.
3. Leave the batter to rest for at least 45 minutes. You can do the batter in the morning for example – store in the fridge for the day. Make sure it is at room temperature when you are ready to cook.
   

   Ideal consistency of the batter: lightly creamy texture.

4. Warm your pan on high, and put a little butter.
5. Fill a ladle 1/2 way with your batter, and pour on the hot pan, turning the pan so the batter spread equally. This takes practice, don’t hesitate to pour little by little until you fill your gaps.
   
6. Cook on medium high for 1 to 2 minutes, till the side of the crêpe detach itself from the pan.
7. With your spatula, detach your crêpe carefully and turn it upside down.
8. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes and then set on a plate (that you keep warm – using a lid for example)
9. You are ready for your crêpe #2: start with a little butter, making sure the pan is hot, add batter spreading evenly, cook / turn upside down (try sauté the crêpe – flipping it in the air!), and set on your pile! With a little practice, you might feel comfortable having 2 pans and cooking simultaneously 2 crêpes at a time, it is not that hard!

Enjoy in warm or cold. In my family, we used to prepare little bowls at the center of the table with: sugar, honey, jam, chocolate sauce (A little like build your own ice cream)… and we would pick and mix the delicacies on our crêpe, roll the crêpe and YUMMY. Let me know how it goes! share your success and Happy Chandeleur 😉

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