Crêpe Day

In many places around the world, there is the lovely tradition of going in procession from a church to home with a lit candle on February 2 (which is just around the corner!). That day is known as Candlemas or Day of the Candles.

The reason for Candlemas is the celebration of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple 40 days after his birth. That said, In France, the Candlemas festival is now better known as Crêpe Day.

The fact is that, although Candlemas is celebrated in different ways in different parts of the world, in France it became customary to make crêpes that day to ensure that the wheat harvests did not rot. Long live beliefs! Thus, February 2 has come to be known as Crêpe Day.

Crêpe Day

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

Nowadays, crêpes are made in the vast majority of French households on that day!

It turns out to be a curious tradition, and without a doubt very appetizing! Therefore we encourage you to join that tradition, and to make some delicious crêpes for the people around you and who matter to you. You're sure to put a big smile on their faces.

De Buyer iron crepe pan

Easy recipe for making crepes

Making crêpes is really easy. It's just a matter of mixing a few ingredients and letting the mixture rest for half an hour. That's the only thing you need to keep in mind, because the rest takes care of itself.

Here’s the basic recipe for making some delicious crêpes:

Ingredients:

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

Preparation:

• We introduce Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until everything is well mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least half an hour, so that the flour (and the tea if you've added it) hydrates well.

After the resting time, let's make crêpes (cook over medium-low heat).

1. Pour a ladle of the batter onto the crepe maker and tilt it immediately while you rotate it, so that the batter covers the entire bottom (if you have a crepe spreader, use him for that task).
2. Cook the crêpe on the first side and flip it with a spatula when you see the edges start to lift; after a few seconds, the second side of the crêpe will be ready too.
3. Remove the crêpe from the crêpe pan and place it on a plate. Continue making more crêpes, adding a ladle of batter to the crêpe pan each time. As they’re ready, stack the crêpes on a plate and keep them covered with a clean cotton cloth.

Tips and considerations when making crêpes at home

• You can make the batter in the morning and enjoy the crêpes in the afternoon (the half-hour rest is the minimum time it needs). And if you have batter left over, you can finish making them even the next day.
• You don't need to add butter or oil to the crepe maker to make crêpes! Add the batter directly.
• The first crepe usually doesn’t turn out perfect. Don’t worry, it’s normal: it always ends up thicker or smaller than usual until you find the right ladle size for the pan or crepe maker you’re using. The second crepe always comes out better, and the third is already expert-chef level.
• To make crêpes you can use a non-stick pan, but ideally use a crepe maker: it has lower edges and makes flipping crêpes much easier. There are various types of crêpe pans (iron and non-stick), you can see them here.

Nonstick crepe pan and Le Creuset cast iron crepe pan, olive wood rake and Bérard crêpe flipping spatula

Ideas for making assorted crêpes

The good thing about crêpes is that son extremely easy to prepare and accept a multitude of ingredients to go with them.

You can opt to make sweet crêpes, which you can simply pair with:

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

Or you can prepare savory crepes, that work just as well for a snack as for dinner. Some combinations that are very tasty:

• The classic ham and cheese
• Cheese with mushrooms
• Tuna, cheese and tomato
• Sautéed mixed vegetables
• Salmon and mushrooms (with 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 drizzle of balsamic vinegar of Modena
• etc.

I'm also leaving you with some recipes to keep inspiring you (click to view it):

• Cheese and walnut crêpe
• Caprese crepe
• Savory cheese crêpes, served with mushrooms
• Crepe cake with lemon cream

I assure you that if you decide to make crêpes at home one day, you’ll want to do it again, because you’ll see how easy they are to make. Besides, they’re a perfect option for snacks and dinners when you don’t want any fuss but still want to enjoy delicious combinations!