Birthday Crêpes
I am so very fond of crêpes.
Lovely and lithe, these dear blankets are delicious without enhancement. Though I do encourage decoration with yummy fillings. And when you layer lavishly within the frayed edges, perhaps with lemon curd or cream or jam, and the ingredients soften and melt and ooze (the tender result of 'straight from the pan' warmth)...oooh. It's heavenly.
I fell in love with crêpes on a trip to France with my mother ten years ago. It was undoubtedly love at first bite. And this wasn't any crêpe, it was a nutella crêpe ("nOOtella") from a hole in the wall crêperie in Paris. I mean, truly, is there anything more beautiful than a fresh crêpe exuding, ostentatiously, a sweet and fluent stream of warm nutella? I suppose there is...devouring this hedonistic pancake drama on the streets of Paris. Yes, that is one of my most favourite activities in the entire world, negotiating the Parisian cobblestone streets and the inevitable 'nutella on your face' situation as you dive into a takeaway crêpe with reckless delicious abandon.
In the absence of the city of lights and charming crêperies, I like to make these beauties in my kitchen for special breakfasts. And lunches and suppers and snacks. Really, it takes little persuasion for me to crack out my crêpes pans.
Yesterday was my birthday. I made crêpes for breakfast with an array of toppings. There were frozen berries, chestnut spread, greek yoghurt and blood orange jam. They were intoxicatingly good.
We also ate crêpes for lunch, with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and dill.
Crêpes for breakfast AND lunch. I told you I'm fond of crêpes. This recipe is stellar. I suggest you follow Clotilde's instructions closely, making the batter the night before and cooking your crêpes quickly over a high heat. I'm also very partial to the rum inclusion. Ben? Not so much. That reveals much about our cooking and eating preferences, actually...
After whipping up the remainder of the crêpes and laying out creme fraiche, smoked salmon and dill for their filling (a savoury favour works well with this batter, too), I assembled a salad using mixed leaves, chopped red onion, gherkins and dill (followed by a splash of both quality extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar). The final salad ingredient? Wasabi cheese.
Last week I visited Tasmania on a blogging gig to write about some of the incredible produce the North and North West region has to offer. Ashgrove Cheese was one producer I visited and boy did I leave with a lovely bounty. There will be more to come on my Tasmania visit in the next couple of months but for now, know that I had the most wonderful time. This wasabi cheese was for my husband. He fell instantly in love. Much the same way I fell for crêpes...
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Do try this crêpe recipe, it really is superb. And let me know if you have any beloved fillings I simply must try.