Crêpes

Happy Mardi-Gras!

This is a festive time of year to over-indulge in food before the fasting season of Lent begins. As an American, when I think of Fat Tuesday (literal translation from the French, Mardi-gras) I think of New Orleans parades and parties. Purple, yellow, green beads being thrown around, endless drinking, and of course, feasting on King Cake’s. Our versions in this country are sweet brioche wreaths with cream cheese filling, sweet icing, and purple, yellow, and green sprinkles. To learn about King Cake’s in France, head over to this recipe for the Galette de Roi that I make each year for the Epiphany in January: Galette de Rois, King Cake This would be a great recipe to make for today as well.

With a French husband and all, I feel I should honor the French tradition of Mardi-Gras. So I’m swapping the sweet buns we enjoy here, with what the French eat most on this day: their beloved crêpes.

It’s a bit confusing because I thought we ate our King Cake’s on this day because that’s what they do in France. But actually, they eat their King Cake’s, as mentioned above, on the Epiphany (after the Christmas holidays come to an end).

So Mardi-Gras is really their day of enjoying crêpes. (To get even more confusing, they have another crepe holiday in February, “le chandeleur” which is a day to enjoy crepes for reasons involving harvest and the wheat crops, and seasons changing etc. etc.) They don’t limit Fat Tuesday to crêpes. They enjoy all sorts of fatty foods, including Waffles.

However you decide to celebrate, and maybe if that celebration just means, eating some good ol’ carbs, you have quite the choice.

This recipe for crêpes is my very favorite. It’s straight-forward and delicious. And best of all, they taste just like the crêpes in France. The secret? No butter. *gasp*. While automatically disappointing to an American, the butter actually makes it richer, preventing you from eating multiple crepes. The French instead, omit the butter from the batter, and grease their pans with a little vegetable oil. This alteration, creates ultra thin crepes that aren’t oily and heavy. In other words, bring on the extra servings and generous smears of Nutella. 😉 Enjoy!

Options for sweet toppings:

• Lemon and sugar
• Powdered sugar
• Peanut butter and banana
• Fresh fruit
• Nutella
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate sauce
• Biscoff cookie butter spread

Options for savory toppings:

• Smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, & dill
• Ham and cheese
• Sautéed vegetables
• Pesto and turkey