Crêpe Day Celebration

Today is La Chandeleur (Candlemas), it is the tradition of making crêpes to celebrate the first signs of springs. 
Here is a French proverb: "À la Chandeleur, l'hiver s'en va ou prend vigueur", meaning "On Candlemas, winter ends or strengthens".

It is celebrated on Feb 2nd, same day as the Groundhog Day in North America. 

The trick is that if you could catch the crêpe with a frying pan after tossing it in the air with your right hand and holding a gold coin in your left hand, it will give you happiness and properity throughout the coming year.

But we do not only eat crêpes on Feb 2nd, we do not need that opportunity to eat crêpes. Crêpes are enthusiastically made any time for breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea or dinner.

You can garnish them with whatever you like. There are so many toppings to put on your crêpes: sugar, sugar and salted butter, jam, nutella, compote, whipped cream and fresh fruits... You can even flambé them with orange liquor, it will be a Crêpe Suzette.

In Brittany, West part of France, savory crêpes are made with buckwheat flour and are called "galettes".
Personaly I use the same recipe for both savory and sweet crêpes, I found it easier and quicker if I cook both with the same batter .
My favorite savory crêpe is Ham/Gruyere cheese/Sunny side up egg.
My favorite sweet crêpe is sugar and lemon jus. My husband does not have a favorite, he likes all of them.

It is very simple and quick to do and you just need a single bowl of batter made from just eggs, milk, flour, and butter. Who doesn't have these ingredients in their fridge all the time?

Ingredients (make about 15 crêpes):
2 cups of flour 
2 1/2 cups of milk 
1/2 cup of water
4 eggs
2 tbsp of melted butter
pinch of salt
vegetable oil for the pan

1. In a large mixing bowl , whisk together the flour , the salt and the eggs.
2. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring, then add butter.
3. Place the batter, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crêpes will be less likely to tear during cooking.  

4. Pour the batter (approximately 1/2 cup for each crêpe) into a lightly oiled frying pan (I use a 10-inch pan) over medium high heat, turning and tilting it in a slow, circular motion to spread the batter evenly. 

5. Wait until the edges start to turn golden brown, and pockets of air lift the center, and then run a spatula around the edge of the crêpe.

6. Slip the spatula underneath, and in one swift gesture, lift and flip the crêpe back into the pan.

7. Cook until the other side is golden brown, about 20s. 

Do not be disappointed if the first attempt is a dud. It happens even if you are a crêpes expert. Usually it is because you were impatient and the pan was not quite hot enough.

The batter will keep for up to 48 hours in the fridge. Or the crêpes can be made hours ahead of time and kept, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature. Crêpes can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Now is time to eat. So add the filling you like and fold them the way you want. You can roll them (the way I like sweet crêpes), fold them in quarters (the way my husband eats them), or fold them like a purse, we call that "aumonière de crêpe".

The traditionnal way for a savory crêpe is to fold the four sides in and make a square crêpe and serve it with a green salad and a glass of apple cider from Brittany.

Enjoy !!!