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Foodie French Friday: Crêpes

written by robin

Crepe 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?

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