Crepe

30 Jan 2015

The Catholic holiday of Candlemas, on February 2nd, is a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus in the temple. In France, this holiday is called la Chandeleur, Fête de la Lumière, or the jour des crêpes.

Not only do the French eat a lot of crêpes on Chandeleur, but they also do a bit of fortune telling while making them. It is traditional to hold a coin in your writing hand and a crêpe pan in the other and flip the crêpe into the air. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year.

I’m writing this because Monday will be February 2nd. Time to buy flour, eggs, sugar, jam, Nutella, apple cider, and whipped cream. Get everything you need this weekend and you can make crêpes on Sunday and Monday to celebrate the holiday and eat a nice, lovely dessert. Don’t forget to flip too!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1-1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon rum, brandy or other liqueurblog2a
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups sifted, unbleached, all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
  • vegetable oil for brushing on the pan

PREPARATION:

  1. Place the milk, vanilla extract and rum in the blender. Add the yolks, sugar, salt, then the flour. Finally, add the butter and blend on high speed 30 seconds.
  2. Scrape down the sides of the blender and blend on high speed 30 seconds more. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

At this point, it can also be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Bring it to room temperature before continuing with recipe.

  1. Heat an 8″ crêpe pan or skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the pan; if they sizzle, the pan is ready to use. Brush with a little vegetable oil.
  2. Using a 1/4 cup measure, fill it with batter and pour it into the skillet. Immediately pick up the pan and tilt and swirl it so that the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan. Pour any excess batter back into the bowl.
  3. Loosen the edges of the crêpe with a metal spatula. You can use a spatula to turn the crêpe, but I usually turn it with my fingers. Using both hands, I pick up the loosened edges with my thumb and index finger and quickly flip it over.
  4. Cook on the other side until lightly golden (usually less than a minute) and slide it out onto a plate. Cover with waxed paper. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Bon Appetit,

 

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