Today, 2 February is la Chandeleur( a commemoration of the presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple of Jerusalem and the purification process: (Luke 2:22 – When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”) . But mostly this day in France is devoted to eating crêpes. I’m sharing a traditional Breton recipe, a favorite of our daughter’s friend, who is Bretonne.
…crêpes de Sophie…
I feel a little like Paula Deen advocating this butter and sugar, so maybe I should warn...DANGER! One can’t have too many of these and in any case, we French only eat one or at the most, two crêpes(if they are small) at a time! Hope you enjoy your one crêpe.
…exploding sugar crystals”..(pumping candies)…
The basic recipe for the crêpes can be found here: A classice crêpe recipe and feasting the Mardi Gras way.
Suggestions for Sophie’s Bretonne crêpes.
- When serving your crêpes, heat a pan with a small knob of butter.
- Add one crêpe at a time, turn and warm/fry the other side.
- Add a little sugar to the crêpe in the pan, allow it to melt, fold the crêpe in half and fold again so you end up with a small envelope.
- Slide onto a plate and serve hot.
- For fun I added some “exploding sugar crystals” just before serving. They will “explode” in your mouth, adding a surprise to each bite. I see they are called “pumping candies”…?Her is one address in France where they can be ordered from: Meilleur du chef.com
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When we hear the word château, we immediately dream up an image of Le Roi Louis XIV, the sun king of France. And yes, it is spot on. It is those beautiful country residences of royalties like le château de Versailles, or Fontainebleau, or those found in La vallee de la Loire, like the majestic Chambord and Chenenonceau, or Villandry and Uzé and others, more or less known.
…Fontainebleau…
…Chambord…
…Bourdaisiére…
…Chinon…
…Chaumont sur Loire…
But then we also have the smaller French country house, also called un château which might be inhabited by a noble Frenchman or not. Lately many châteaux here in France are bought up and restored by foreigners and run as bed and breakfasts or luxury hotels. And yes, stories rich in deception, love and intrigue still abound in all these châteaux, even the luxury château hotels…how can you silence the voice of a place?
…a locked up country château…
.. you want to hear the mysterious story of this small château…no, not now? OK next time…
…no entry, only mystery…
There is a third kind of château…my chickens are of noble heritage…owing not only one, but two châteaux of which I am the butler and the maid and housekeeper. Their fancy heated one in Tours is at the moment up for sale, and they are living in an old dilapidated château here at Coin Perdu which we inherited when we bought the property. But, as royalty runs deep in the veins and isn’t determined by surroundings, my chickens reign with dignity and class from their ruins.
…the entrance to the chateau de Plumes…
…a dilapidated château de Plumes..
As soon as my vegetable patch is finished, the château de Plumes will move to the potager. I have the plans all set up for a cute and regal château de Plumes with turrets and all, still rustic, but worthy to be home to Their Royal Hignesses. As it is very cold here at night, I bring them into the barn at night, in their baskets, where they sleep next to my bed and we all snore in sync and cozy warmth. At 5:30, when Camembert announces the day(how does he know it is day, when all is still spitting dark??), I turn on my other side and cover my ears.
…dignified royalty…
Enjoy your ONE crêpe!!!
and until next time..
from your devoted servant, Ronelle
Myfrenchkitchen 
Those pancakes are wonderful! I wish I knew where to find such sugar…
Gorgeous castles and beautiful hens.
Cheers,
Rosa
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Loved reading about and seeing the photographs of the chateaus. I can’t wait to see the “chateau de plumes”. The crepes look delicious!
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En effet le sucre va tous nous faire envie!
Les crêpes sont parfaites..des petites enveloppes d’amour.
I would like to live in that abandoned castle:) Tous le châteaux sont en effet ravissants.
I love where the poules live now but am picturing the one under construction in your head:)
Lovely post..as always..un coup de coeur!
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Yes I want to hear the story of the mysterious chateau. And Yes, would love a crepe… or two. And am smiling at the chickens. Oh my – I seem to want a lot today!
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Photos are gorgeous, Ronelle but it is the story of your chickens that has made my day.
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Delicious pancake and beautiful pictures too.
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Rosa, unfortunately I don’t even know what these sugars are called in English and I couldn’t find other sites than those in France…maybe they will ship outside France…you’re not that far? If you want some, let me know and I can send you ..
O la Nancy…I would like for le château de Plumes to be finished too, so I can sleep peacefully1
Monique, yes, we all can dream of living in such a castle…what romance!
Claudia, I’ll tell the mystery of the abandoned chateau…but only at night.
You see Robyn, what did I tell you…they reign everywhere!
Thank you Finla!!
thanks for stopping by everyone.
Ronelle
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Love the idea of exploding sugar…where can you get them in France or is it an online shop? There is a vineyard in South Africa that has a turret for their goats which they seemed to love!!
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Ronelle, I loved everything about this post! From the delicious looking crêpes, the château’s and Château de Plumes! 🙂
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Chez Dinahmow, we call a chateau de plumes a chookenarium! 😉
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The exploding sugar crystals sound like a fun treat. Imagine the surprise look on your guests if you served them with crepes at a party?
Lovely castles. Your chickens sound as pampered as the people who lived in those castles. I wonder if they appreciate how lucky they really are. We buy frozen chickens here in the states, but you sure don’t want yours to turn into one. Stay warm. It’s like summertime over here this winter. I don’t want to be cold, but a couple of your cool breezes would be welcome. Mother Nature is acting very strange this year.
Sam
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I want some exploding sugar too 🙂 The best crepes I’ve ever had were filled with chocolate mousse – pure decadence. I would love to try making these!
Yes, please tell the scary story of the abandoned chateau.
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Suzanne, some (French) addresses online for the exploding sugar crystals: (Copy and paste the links in your google bar)
1. – http://www.meilleurduchef.com/cgi/mdc/l/fr/boutique/produits/sen-eclat_sucre_petillant.html
2. – http://www.bienmanger.com/1F3148_Eclats_Sucre_Petillant_Nature.html?ope=cherchons&sope=3148&utm_source=Comparateurs&utm_campaign=cherchons.com&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Epicerie
3. – http://www.toc.fr/sucre-petillant-enrobe-de-chocolat-58-g.html?utm_source=LeGuide.com%20Group&utm_term=Sucre%20p%E9tillant%20enrobe%20de%20chocolat%2058%20g&utm_medium=Sucre%20p%E9tillant%20enrobe%20de%20chocolat%2058%20g&utm_campaign=Sucre%20p%E9tillant%20enrobe%20de%20chocolat%2058%20g
Ingrid…thank you!
Diane…a chjookenarium, that has such a nice ring to it, I’ll ask my choickens what they think.
Sam, you had me on the giggle with your frozen chicken…
Susan..the scary tale? I wonder if I should..?
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What I would give to see the chickens sleeping in their baskets next to your bed!
Loved all the photographs and yum….
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LOL – crepes with a health warning! Now that’s a first. Also love the translation “pumping candy”! Keep translating it to Afrikaans but not sure “pomp lekkergoed” would be the kind of thing you want your kids eating 😉
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