In many parts of the world there is a beautiful tradition of going in procession from a church to a house with a lighted candle on February 2 (which falls very close!). That day is known as Día de la Candelaria or Día de las Velas .

The reason for the day of Candlemas is the celebration of the presentation of Jesus in the temple 40 days after his birth. Now, in France, the Candelaria festival is already better known as the Crêpe Festival .

The fact is that, although Candlemas is celebrated in different ways in different parts of the world, in France the custom of preparing crêpes on that day was established to ensure that the wheat crops did not rot. Long live beliefs! Thus, February 2 has become known as Crêpe Day.

The day of the crepe

French tradition says that crêpes should be prepared on February 2nd. They can be sweet or savory, but when making them you must turn the crêpes with one hand, while holding 2 coins with the other. Those two coins will be wrapped in the crêpe and kept like that for a whole year, and the following year those coins will be given to the poor.

Today, a large majority of French homes prepare crêpes on that day!

It is a curious tradition, and without a doubt very appetizing! That is why we encourage you to join this tradition, and to prepare some delicious crêpes for the people around you and who matter to you. You will surely get a good smile out of them.

De Buyer iron crepe maker

Easy recipe to prepare crepes

Preparing crêpes is really easy . It is about mixing a few ingredients and letting the mixture rest for half an hour. It is the only thing you should keep in mind, because the rest comes out by itself.

We leave you the basic recipe to make some delicious crêpes:

Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggs
• 250ml whole milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pinch of salt
• 130g of pastry flour
• 1 spoon of sugar
• ½ tablespoon matcha tea (optional)

Preparation:

• Put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until everything is well mixed. We cover with film and let the dough rest for at least half an hour, so that the flour (and the tea if you have added it) is well hydrated.

After the resting time, we are going to prepare the crêpes (work over medium-low heat).

1. Pour a ladleful of the batter into the crepe maker and tilt it immediately as you turn it, so that the batter covers the entire bottom (if you have a crepe rake , use it for this task).
2. Cook the crêpe on the first side and turn it over with a spatula when you see that the edges begin to rise; with a few seconds you will also have the second side of the crêpe ready.
3. Remove the crêpe from the pan and put it on a plate. Continue making more pancakes, adding a ladleful of batter to the pan each time. As you get them ready, stack the crêpes on a plate and keep them covered with a clean cotton cloth.

Tricks and considerations when making crêpes at home

• You can prepare the dough in the morning and enjoy the crêpes in the afternoon (half an hour of rest is the minimum time required). And if you have leftover dough, you can finish it even the next day.
• No need to add butter or oil to the pan to make pancakes! Add the dough directly.
• The first crêpe is usually not perfect. Do not worry because it is normal: it is always thicker or smaller than normal, in the absence of finding the appropriate measure of the ladle with respect to the pan or crepe maker you use. The second crêpe always comes out better, and the third is already an expert chef.
• To prepare crêpes you can use a non-stick pan, but ideally use a crepe maker : it has the lowest edges and you gain a lot when it comes to turning the crêpes. There are various kinds of crepe makers (iron and non-stick), you can see them here .

Le Creuset non- stick crepe maker and iron crepe maker , olive wood rake and spatula for turning crêpes de Bérard

Ideas to prepare varied crêpes

The good thing about crêpes is that they are very easy to prepare and accept a multitude of ingredients to accompany them.

You can choose to make sweet crêpes , which you can simply accompany:

• of sugar
• fruit (or fruit with cocoa cream...)
• candied orange, with a touch of chocolate syrup
• jam (and any flavor)
• lemon curd
• chocolate and hazelnut cream
• of cream (cream with chocolate, cream with nuts...)
• etc

Or you can prepare savory crêpes , which will fit you both in a snack and in a dinner. Some combinations that are very rich:

• The classic ham and cheese
• cheese with mushrooms
• Tuna, cheese and tomato
• Sautéed assorted vegetables
• Salmon and mushrooms (and a touch of melted cheese...yum!)
• Spinach with raisins and pine nuts
• Another classic, chicken with cheese
• spinach and chicken
• Roquefort cheese with walnuts
• Chicken with roasted vegetables, with a dash of Modena vinegar
• etc.

I also leave you with some recipes to continue inspiring you (click to see it):

• Cheese and walnut crepe
• caprese crepe
• Salty cheese crêpes, accompanied by mushrooms
• Crepes and lemon cream cake

I assure you that if you dare to prepare crêpes one day at home you will want to repeat, because you will confirm how easy it is to make them. Apart from being a perfect option for snacks and dinners where you don't want complications, but you do want to enjoy delicious combinations!