Hope you're hungry, 'cuz it is time again for another Foodie French Friday.
This week were are talking crêpes.
Acoording to The Short Guide to Foodie French, Crêpe pronounced [krep] is " a very thin pancake, briefly fried on both sides on a very hot and large griddle. Crêpes are often sprinkled with sugar or stuffed with a variety of sweet pastes or jams."
The French do have a favorite topping : Nutella, a popluar hazelnut spread (maple syrup has not seemed to reach France in any great quantity).
A specialty of the Brittany region, the salty version of the crêpe made using buckwheat flour bears the name galette.
In France, national crêpe-day is February 2, a celebration called Chandeleur.
Seriously, you gotta love a country that not only invented the crêpe, but dedicates an entire day to celebrating them! Add to that the fact that the French love to add Nutella as a fiiiling and I dare any one of you to fault me for being a staunch Francophile. Actually, I double dare ya!
I have made both sweet and savory crêpes. My favorite sweet fillings are, Nutella and strawberry, Nutella and banana (are you begining to see a pattern here?) butter 'n sugar and even Crêpe Suzette, which are filled with two of my all time favorites-oranges and booze. Yep. Grand Marnier.
Oh. My. God.
And my savory favs? Well, those include cheese, any and every kind, but I am especially fond of Gruyère. The gooier, the better. And to the oozing cheese, I like to add ham, onions, spinach and/or mushrooms in any combination.
I have a standard go-to crêpe recipe that I use to make them at home. But while in France, and Paris specifically, I love to grab both sweet and savory from street vendors and stroll the cobbeled streets near the Seine, eating my French street-food. Sure as hell beats the view from my kitchen window!
And though I do enjoy making crêpes at home, I simply adore stumbling onto them when eating out. I have found really great crêpes in my neck of the woods in both Newburgh and Hudson, but also in Montreal. (No huge surprise, since Montreal is French-Canadian!)
But without a doubt, the most authentic and delicious crêpes are best enjoyed in the country that both invented and honors them with a national holiday.
Crêpes. France just wouldn't be France without 'em.
How 'bout you? Do you like crêpes? Where have you had them? What's your favorite filling?