February 22, 2016, posted by Michelle – We suppose it’s inexcusable that we let Valentine’s Day come and go without posting about roses. Will you excuse us anyway? Maybe some photos of flowers from last week’s trip to Paris will help. Flowers at kiosks and in front of shops spill out onto the sidewalks making an already breathtakingly beautiful city all the more so. Enjoy!
February 2, 2016, posted by Michelle – It’s Groundhog Day in America and as I write this it’s too early for Punxsutawny Phil to have come out to look for his shadow, so I don’t know if spring is imminent or if we’ll face six more weeks of winter. But here in France it’s La Chandeleur or Crêpe Day. Honestly, everyday in France is crêpe day, and croissant, baguette, wine and cheese day, seeing as how we stumble over these very commonplace things each time we venture out. Nevertheless, the crêpe gets it’s own special day and it’s actually related to religion and pagan traditions. You can read all about it HERE, should you be so inclined. I did my part to continue French tradition and whipped up some crêpes this morning. I sprinkled them with sugar, honey and a little lemon juice but the accompaniments are endless.
Here’s the basic recipe for sweet crêpes:
1½ cups all purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp orange flower water
pinch of salt
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, eggs, oil, orange flower water and salt. Slowly pour in the milk and stir constantly with a whisk until well mixed – the batter should be thin. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let it rest for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature. Heat a crêpe pan or a non-stick 12″ frying pan and pour one ladle of batter into the pan. Be sure the whole surface is evenly covered with batter by quickly tilting and swirling the pan around (took me a while to get this down). After a minute or so you can flip the crêpe and cook the other side for 30 seconds. Bon appétit!