Today is Mardi gras. 16 Fevrier. According to Catholic tradition, it is the last day of indulging in the “fat of the land” before taking on the fasting of the 40 days to Pacques(Easter). It is celebrated by crazy feasting, carnivals…so, in the fun spirit of Mardi gras…let’s feast and carnival today, for tomorrow the world ends!

And the way to do it…crêpes of course. Every which way you want it. Stacked, rolled, folded in parcels, folded in triangles, aumoniéres, flambéed, caked, salty, sweet, natural…you name it.

My husband’s favourite crêpe is sprinkled with softly flavoured cinnamon sugar, drizzled with lemon juice and rolled. He folds it double and whops it into his mouth, crunching on the still crackling sugar, while he starts sprinkling and rolling the next one.

We have a good friend who spreads his crêpe with butter, sprinkles liberally with sugar, folds it into a little parcel to entrap the butter and there you go…warm, melted butter and sugar…. every bite.

Then there are those individuals more deliberate. I am one. Open up the crêpe on a plate, very warm, spread a loaded knife with nutella over one half, fold over and then again to form a triangle, pick it up ever so dainty with your hands and then with closed eyes, dig those teeth into the crêpe, all the while feeling the warm chocolate trickling down your fingers. Pure heaven.

Suggestions:

  • I always use 2 eggs for 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water and 20g of butter. It makes it easy to multiply for big batches of crêpes.
  • I use water instead of milk for lighter crêpes, that way I can eat one extra!
  • The baking soda adds to a ligher crêpe.
  • Leave the batter to stand and “develop” a while…like a good relationship.
  • Don’t keep the crêpes warm over hot water or on astove, it dries out with heat. Keep the crêpes close by your baking process and turn the stack often to keep warm. If necessary they can be quickly reheated in small batches if too  cold.
  • Don’t sprinkle with sugar just after baking, unless you want syrupy crêpes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar individually when eating for crunch.
  • DO make some oopsedaisies…and enjoy them while baking!!
  • When using Nutella, warm a little in the microwave to soften for easier spreading.

Of course there are many ways to indulge when feasting on a crêpe: drizzlings of canadian maple syrup and sprinkled with chopped nuts; mountain honey;  a scoop of vanilla ice cream with dark decadent chocolate sauce…

Or how about some caramelized fruit – crêpe Suzette with flambéed oranges; apples and currants  with a hint of cinnamon, lemon juice and oven roasted almonds, drizzled with a trickle of thick balsamic syrup, red berries with créme frâiche; tropical caramelized mango with passionfruit; banana with caramel sauce and fleur de sel… endless possibilities!

Don’t forget the salty fillings;  smoked salmon, drizzled with lemon juice and mixed with capers and some chopped spring onions or chioves, parsley or dill,  and served with a greek tzatziki made from fromage blanc, lemon juice and  cucumber and finshed off with a sprinkling of lump eggs.

Or my favourite…spinach sauteed with onion and thyme, sprinkled with freshly grated nutmeg, s touch of lemon juice and a generous helping of créme frâiche and lastly sprinkled with crumbled goats cheese…

But crépes are not only about the filling and eating. On days like Mardi gras, when the world is a little crazy, baking crêpes should be a little crazy too. A little flopping and flipping, whirling and twirling and of course, countless oopsedaisies!!

And so, as this day ends… and our tummies call to a halt… and the craziness turns to mellowness… only one thing remains…..

Trucs & astuces de nos grands-méres:

To remove a rust stain…rub the stain with the pulp of a lemon and iron afterwards with a hot iron.

May the following forty days be light and healthy and when we eat again at Easter, may it not be Mardi Gras crêpes…

24 thoughts on “A classic crêpe recipe and feasting the Mardi Gras way.”

  1. A perfect post for today and I’m tucking your recipe away! Had a chuckle on the fun ‘flopping & flipping’ … years ago I taught a cooking class to grade school children. On crepe day, like Julia Child, I let the children flip & flop the crepes all over the kitchen … a good laugh and the kids had a ball. Yes, food should be fun 🙂 Happy ‘light and healthy’ Lent (out tonight for Shroud/Fat Tuesday)!

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  2. Tu me donnes envie des crêpes! Toutes sortes.. Je tenterai ta recette:) Di-moi .. Lékué ? What is that?:)

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  4. YUM! and I love the photographs. It all seems so clear, easy, and most importantly FUN!

    Thanks so much. House full of family and friends this weekend for my grandson’s third birthday. Dare I give it a try for this??

    Love everything, and oh, did a post on mushrooms and they reminded me of YOU!

    Love, Love,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  5. My family was not Catholic, but we did observe this day as “special.”
    Perhaps I’ll make crepes at the weekend, when The Man is home.

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  6. Only you can change pancake baking into an art form….Wow. I must say though that I’m with your husband……simple with sugar and lemon juice….
    My son however will kill for a Nutella Pancake……..

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  7. What a lovely & beautiful crêpes post this is!!

    I love crêpes. We call them pancakes but that was before I knew that there were thicker American pancakes!!

    MMMMMM,…lovely pictures too!

    Thanks for sharing, Ronelle!

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  9. thanks for dropping by everybody and leaving such nice comments…I really appreciate every visit!
    Monique…Lekue is a silcone marque and the little gadget in the photo is a “decopen”(as is called in englis), used for coulis, sauces, icing sugar etc, to decorate plates, cakes, cookies, salads…
    Ronelle

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  11. of course I have given up ice cream and alcohol for lent so sadly I am going to have to wait to try these…….I want them with the Brandy! Beautiful, just beautiful!

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  12. No resting of the batter? I LIKE this recipe! We have a favorite creperie here where we go when we want a light meal. My favorite is a ‘sarrazin’ crepe (buckwheat) with ham, goat cheese and honey. YUM!

    Love the photos.

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  16. Ues crepes would have neen perfect. Hope you had a wonderful Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Fastnacht Day or Fausnaught Day!!!!

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  17. And do you remember Danie’s favourite? Butter and white sugar. Then heated so the butter can melt! And folded so the butter does not run out! Miss you all. Cecily

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  20. oh what a wonderful post, I love crepes so much and ywt we do not have them here so much. I will be in France for a month in May and I am looking forward to some genuine French crepes. Delicious

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  23. Pingback: Sophie’s crêpes for la Chandeleur…and all kinds of french chateaux. « Myfrenchkitchen

  24. Hi, I just wanted to suggest that you replace “whisk in the eggs” with just “whisk the eggs.” The way you phrased it made me think that I was supposed to crack the eggs right into the flour and whisk them into the flour mix, which made them a little lumpy. Thanks!

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