Sugar Savvy

Every year on February 2^nd French people everywhere eat crêpes.  Why February 2^nd, because it is traditional to celebrate the Catholic holiday called “La Chandeleur” (Candlemas) by making delicious crêpes.

“La Chandeleur” commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus.  Now you may be asking, what does this have to do with making crêpes?  (Apparently, not much).  Historically, flour was used to make crêpes as a symbol of prosperity for the next year’s harvest, and the round shape of the crêpes themselves recalled the shape of the sun in order to usher in the return of spring after a cold winter.

And so, on February 2^nd it is now traditional to make crêpes while holding a coin in your left hand, and single-handedly flipping a crêpe in a pan with your right hand.  If you are able to flip the crêpe in the air and have it land perfectly back in the pan, you and your family will enjoy prosperity for the year.

Of course, the best part of crêpe day, is eating them!  I suggest you keep the accompaniments simple: sugar, lemon juice, jam, chocolate and (if you can find some), Nutella.  Get these ready to go before your start making your crêpes, as they are best eaten rolled up with your fingers, warm from the pan, spread with your filling of choice.  A crêpe is basically a thin pancake made with flour, eggs, milk, water, sugar, and butter or oil.  The key to making great crêpes is to make sure that the batter is smooth and to let it rest for a few hours before you cook them.  As for the flipping technique, it’s in the wrist action, but that might take a bit of practice, or you can just use a spatula to turn them over.

Here is a recipe from my French grandmother to get you started:

Basic French Crêpes:

250g (2 cups) sifted flour
¼ liter (1 cup) whole milk
¼ liter (1 cup) water
½ tsp. salt
2 TB of melted butter or vegetable oil
3 large eggs lightly beaten
3 TB of sugar

Place the flour in a bowl and form a well in the center.  Pour half of the liquid into the well, and starting from the center slowly mix in the flour until smooth.  Add in the lightly beaten eggs, salt, and sugar and stir well.  Next, add in the butter or oil, followed by the remaining liquid and slowly mix until you have a smooth fluid batter.  At this point cover the bowl and let it rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or place in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours.

Note: At this point the original recipe says to cook the crêpes in the “habitual manner,” but since I’m sure most of you are not in the habit of making crêpes, I am including my own further directions on how to cook them.

Preheat a crêpe pan or small non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  When hot add a little butter to grease the pan.  Give the batter a stir to ensure that it is smooth.

Ladle about a ¼ cup of batter into the pan quickly tilting it around to spread a thin layer of batter that just coats the bottom of the pan.  Cook until bubbles begin to form on top (this should take about 1 minute, so adjust your heat accordingly if it is cooking too fast or too slowly).  Using a spatula, lift up the edges of the crêpe to check if it is cooked underneath, then gently loosen the crêpe from the pan and flip it over.  Continue to cook for another 30 seconds until set.

Fill and eat immediately, or stack and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Give the batter another stir and repeat the process.  Also, keep in mind that the first few are always failures until you get the heat just right.

I hope you will be inspired to make your own crêpes.  Enjoy!