Celebrating Crepe Day

Back from a little Caribbean vacation, reenergized and reprioritized.  It was great to get away, and it was filled with excitement, drama, and even a little bit o’ relaxation thrown in for good measure.  I took a crazy amount (over 500!) of pictures during our trip, but I think my hands-down favorite one belongs to this shot that The Husband took of Nick airborne over the water in Puerto Rico.  Re-entry today was tough, and it instantly seems like we never left (isn’t that funny how that always is?), but it’s always good to be back in the comforts of home.

I had plans to tell you about this awesome Chili I made last night for the Superbowl, but that got pre-empted by something completely different, tonight’s dinner.  My original plan for tonight was to make this new recipe for like-fried-but-not chicken that I found, but then I heard that it was Crepe Day.  Besides being Groundhog Day (hello six more weeks of winter!), February 2nd is also the Catholic holiday of Candlemas, which is a feast that commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the baby Jesus forty days after his birth. Somehow along the way, for many French people, La Chandeleur (Candlemas) became a time to eat crepes too, go figure, as well as predict their luck for the rest of the year at the same time.

If you know me, you know that I’m never one to miss an opportunity to garner a little extra good luck and wishes (and if you didn’t know that about me, you’ll find out the next time we go over railroad tracks and I’m frantically touching something blue, and the ceiling, feet off the floor, closing my eyes, holding my breath and making a wish!).  And considering we start the new year off by polishing off mouthfuls of black-eyed peas at my parents’ house, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 

Anyway, back to crepes.  While making them, the French custom dictates that you’re supposed to hold a coin in your left hand and the crepe pan in your right.  Toss the crepe in the air. If you manage catch it in the pan, your family will enjoy prosperity for the rest of the year.  If you don’t, well, not so much. Of course, I forgot all about that part, but I’d like to think we’ll have good luck bestowed upon on us for the effort just the same.

I had planned to make savory crepes for dinner, filling them with a creamy chicken and spinach filling (so good!), but as I was making them, I remembered something.  Somewhere, sometime, I’ve had crepes before (never made them before myself), but I’m not sure where.  It’s funny how a certain action can all the sudden bring a memory to the forefront, isn’t it?  If I was pushed to hazard a guess, I want to say it’s this restaurant we used to go to when we visited by grandmother and aunt in Texas, but I’m not positive (Mom?).  Anyway, I vaguely recall having them with just a speck of soft butter and a sprinkling of sugar, and then rolled up, so as I was filling the crepes for dinner, I saved a few to make a sweet version as well.

Nick came back to check on me and the crepes many times during the process, gearing himself up for not liking dinner, but when he saw me sprinkling a bit of sugar on the sweet ones, I knew I had him hooked.  He barely let me take a picture, before he took piece after piece after piece.  So good … so light, and buttery and with just a touch of sweetness.  No surprise that they’ve already been requested for tomorrow again, and not just by Nick; Madeline and The Husband quickly became fans as well, once I made Nick share them with everyone else.

So although it may be a little late to celebrate Crepe Day, you don’t need a special occasion to give these a try.  I guarantee you’ll like them as much as we do.

Crepes
Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. In a blender (I mixed by hand) combine eggs, milk, flour, salt and oil. Process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and brush with oil. Pour 1/4 cup of crepe batter into pan, tilting to completely coat the surface of the pan. Cook 2 to 5 minutes, turning once, until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Notes: My crepes browned in 1-2 minutes, so watch them carefully.  Needed a little more oil halfway through.