La Chandleur

Today is  “La Chandleur”.  This holiday dedicated to eating crêpes takes place on February 2nd every year.  Not everyone in France celebrates La Chandleur (which I don’t really understand; who would want to miss out on an excuse to eat crêpes? )  La Chandleur has its origins in the Roman festival “Lupercales” when as part of their celebration the Romans ate (you guessed it!) crêpes!  For a great article on La Chandleur’s history and relationship to Groundhog Day go to http://french.about.com/od/culture/a/chandeleur.htm?r=et

Meanwhile, here is my recipe for crêpes:

 

Crêpes

One cup of flour

Two cups of milk

A half cup of sugar

A teaspoon of vanilla

Two eggs

Mix these ingredients together and refrigerate them for at least a half hour  (The batter will last for days in the refrigerator if you don’t finish it all right away).  Place a (large!) pat of butter in a small saucepan and heat until the butter melts.  Pour about half a ladle of batter into the bottom of the saucepan.  Swirl the saucepan so that the batter covers the bottom evenly.  Cook over medium heat until small bubbles start to form beneath the crêpe.  Lightly separate the edges of the crêpe from the sides of the saucepan with the spatula, flip the crêpe and cook other the other side.  Please note:  This sounds complicated but in fact is extremely simple.  The measurements are approximate and it is easy to tell when the bottom side of the crêpe is cooked.  The first few times you flip your crêpes you might want to do so in the pan with your spatula, but even flipping crêpes in the air is not difficult.  The secret to that is using lots and lots of butter so that the crêpes won’t stick to the pan.  Bon appétit et Joyeuse Chandleur!