Crepe Day 2012!

Many of you may not be aware that many French celebrate February 2nd each year by making crepes!  Nevertheless, it happens every year in our house!  In France, February 2nd is a holiday called La Chandeleur or Candlemas.  According to a few online resources, the history of making crepes on this holiday goes all the way back to the hight of the Roman Empire.  I've also read that it's the holiday that celebrates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple.  It was said to be 40 days after His birth.  How crepes come into this equation is another question altogether. . .

However, it appears that this day is celebrated in some form or another all over the world and it seems to be a day to predict the future in many Western countries.  In France, they eat crepes in the evening and the crepe chef holds a coin in one hand while flipping the crepe.  If he is able to complete the task without destroying the crepe, then it is good fortune throughout the year.

Our family does not prescribe to the theory that it brings us any good fortune, but we love an excuse to make crepes!  So, I decided many years ago (after researching some crepe recipes online) that I would make this a family tradition in our home and we try to share the tradition with friends each year.

This year, my hubby is out of town, but both of my neighbors and their children came over after dinner to celebrate crepe day with us!  We typically set up a dessert crepe bar with the following: sliced strawberries and any other fruit we have, nutella, mini chocolate chips, carmel sauce, chocolate sauce, homemade whipped cream, powdered sugar and white granulated sugar!  My favorite crepe is hot off the stove with white sugar sprinkled delicately over the whole crepe and a thin line of carmel sauce drizzled down the middle!  Heavenly!  I like to taste the flavor of the crepe and I find that if I put too much in it, it's a mess and I completely miss the flavor of the crepe itself!

Jean-Luc's Crepes

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups AP flour
3 tbls. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup Whole milk
4 medium eggs
2 tbls. oil
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Juice from 1/2 orange, freshly squeezed
Zest from 1/2 orange

Directions:
Mix flour, sugar and salt in small bowl and set aside. Mix remaining wet ingredients in large bowl. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture with a whisk. Mix well. Let sit (covered) in a cooler or refrigerator overnight (4 hours min, but can be used immediately if necessary). Add milk to mixture it more thinning is needed after sitting overnight.

To cook the crepes, heat a medium to large skillet to medium (I use #6 on my stovetop).  Grab a flexible, flat spatula and fill a small plate with a thin layer of oil to grease the pan.  We dip the spatula in the oil and spread a thin layer of oil all over the pan while heating.  Use a 1/3 or 1/2 measuring cup (depends on the size of your skillet) to pour the batter into the pan.  Quickly move the pan around so that the batter evenly covers the entire surface, so that there are no holes and it should be a fairly thin layer.  When it appears that the batter is setting and you can gently lift the edges of the crepe, you can use the spatula to flip the entire crepe over in the pan.  Allow it to cook just a minute longer and it's ready to be decorated and eaten immediately!  Repeat for more deliciousness! 

This yield enough for a family of 4-6, but I would recommend doubling for an more.  When we have large family gatherings, I've been known to triple this recipe!  It's wonderful!