Crepe Party

Today (February 2^nd) is a popular French celebration called La Chandeleur (also known as Christian holiday Candlemas). How do you celebrate it, you ask? You eat crêpes, ton of crêpes. 

I prepared 3 large batches of crêpe batter (click the link for the recipe) last night and let the girls toss so they can prepare their own version by laying down multiple filling options on the kitchen counter. Sprinkling crêpes with sugar can be sufficient but is not at all  necessary; the possibilities are truly endless. I've gathered a few ideas for you to try. Bon appétit!

Mandarin Chocolate Mousse Filled Crepe Recipe

Last night was our first formal dinner party since the New Year and I wanted to add a little wow factor to the end of the meal. I prepared a mandarin-flavored dark chocolate mousse and enclosed it in the cutest little crêpe purses. 

The decadence didn’t stop there, as I garnished the purses with chocolate puffed rice "hung" up high on a spun sugar stick. A little drizzle of coffee-liqueur chocolate sauce finished off the dessert and guaranteed that it would satisfy even the biggest chocoholic's cravings.

I'm starting to plan out what could amaze my Valentine in a few weeks and I know for sure my husband Lulu would be more than delighted that we end our Valentine's Day romantic dinner feeding each other chocolate! Check back for more ideas.

Banana and Fig Crepe Cake Recipe

Since I'm in Paris, I’ve been spoiling my little 2-year-old nephew Paul and 4-year-old niece Elise with sweets. It’s a great way to bond with them in a short period of time. Crêpes are always fun, so I made a pile for all of us to share, along with various jams, Nutella, honey and powdered sugar. In addition to the individual crêpes, I made mini crêpe cakes, filled with fig and banana jam. To repeat the flavors in the dessert, I topped the cake with freeze-dried banana chips and roasted figs.

The most fun part of the assembly was watching Elise and Paul eating the crêpes as I was making them. Lucky me, I still had enough crêpe batter to finish the dessert. I absolutely adore them! 

Blueberry Crepe Recipe

As I told you yesterday, I made crêpes as an experiment to see how well they keep in the freezer. Unfortunately, the crêpes haven’t been able to make it to leftover status, and here's a big part of  the reason why. After making savory crêpes filled with beets and goat cheese, we filled the remaining crêpes with blueberries, vanilla whipped cream and guava sauce. Needless to say, they went fast!

Crêpes are a quick and easy dessert if you can manage to store some in the freezer. If you are looking for a sweet way to end dinner, just pair crêpes with fresh fruits, chocolate sauce, other fruit preserves and whipped cream (or yogurt). You just can’t go wrong.

Beet and Goat Cheese Crepe Recipe

I love the combination of beets and goat cheese. They pair wonderfully, and I’ve used them in many recipes. I had both ingredients on hand today, so I mixed them together and stuffed them in crêpes.

Making crêpe batter is very basic. I first learned how to make crêpes in kindergarten back in France, and I haven't forgotten since then. The quantities go like so: 2 eggs, 250 grams of flour (1-3/4 cups) and ½ liter of milk (2 cups). Allow to rest for a few hours. I then adjust the quantities of liquid by eyeballing until the perfect consistency is reached (see tips).   

Our friend Carole (she is by the way the editor of PhamFatale.com) always sends me wonderful cooking tips along with the corrections of my daily recipes. Carole and her husband David recently hosted a crêpe party at their home. She told me that leftover cooked crêpes store incredibly well in the freezer, which I immediately wanted to try. I’ve made several batches of crêpes since then, but even after my third attempt, no leftovers. What can I say, I live with wolves!