IMBB #23: The Crêpe Escape

Waves throw themselves onto the shore under a colourless winter sky, and the cry of gulls pierces the cold air.  If you squint your eyes a little and ignore the condos, it's easy to imagine yourself in Brittany, on the rocky edge of the Atlantic rather than in Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario.  A February day with a chilling wind demands hearty food, so we turned to homey Breton classics to warm our insides for the latest Is My Blog Burning event, “Vive la France Régionale avec un Verre du Vin."     

"Breton food," writes Waverley Root in his classic tour of French cuisine, The Food of France, "is often spoken of with some disdain."  Part of the reason may be that Brittany is considered a place apart from the rest of France, and to some degree it is.  The Bretons were forced out of England by the Angles, and have struggled to retain their Celtic roots ever since.  The people there even speak their own Celtic-based language, Breton, which is very similar to Welsh.

Breton food isn't very subtle, but there's nothing wrong with a direct approach to deliciousness.  Many of the specialties come from the sea, including the region's rich seafood stew, cotriade, a rustic mix of potatoes, onions, and whatever the day's catch happens to be.

The crowning glory of Breton cuisine -- its gift to the stomachs of the world -- is the crêpe.

A sunny yolk of a lightly fried egg sitting atop a savoury buckwheat crêpe, stuffed with cooked ham and gruyère cheese -- how very satisfying.  It seems like a country meal, with the strong taste of the grain and the cheese combining with the mellow ham.  Buckwheat crêpes are called galettes, or Galettes de Sarassin, and typically used in savoury applications -- not surprising, given the earthy taste of the buckwheat, a crop which arrived in Brittany in the 16th century (click here for more on the history of the crêpe).  Breton galettes are typically folded into a square shape, and filled with a roster of delightful ingredients: from the aforementioned ham and cheese, to local specialties like seafood, and beyond.  Although buckwheat is notoriously difficult to work with, we didn't have too many problems -- excepting the necessary first crêpe sacrificed to the pan, the second sacrificed to the gods, and the third sacrificed to the dog.  But this is typical of all crêpe making, I guess.   

Wine is relatively scarce in Brittany compared to the rest of France because its climate doesn't suit the cultivation of grapes.  Apples, however, grow in abundance, so cider is the alcoholic beverage of choice, just as in Normandy.  We washed our galettes down with a sparkling hard cider.

And of course, crêpes are a natural fit for dessert, so we also feasted on the more common wheat flour-based sweet crêpe: golden discs of delicate dough wrapped around unctuous strawberry jam, homemade by our friend Dave's mom.  We also gilded each crêpe with a generous dollop of the Calvados crême fraiche we found at our favourite cheesemonger, Alex Farms in the St. Lawrence Market.  What a treat: sweet and rich, with a burst of summertime flavour and a powerful kick from the Calvados.

Strawberries are a classic Breton fruit, but being the Nutella fiend that he is, Rob also stuffed a few crêpes with that spread in a pan-European classic:  we saw crêperies all over Paris and especially Italy advertising that very same delicacy.

Rich, hearty, and endlessly comforting:  the perfect food for a cold weekend when we would like to stay cozy indoors yet have no choice but to take Sam the dog out on his evening walk.  At least the cider will be waiting to warm us when we return!

IMBB23 + French

Comments

[Ivonne]

Fantastic post, Rob! And wonderful photo as always. I feel like grabbing a fork and digging in!

Thank you also for enlightening us about the food of Brittany. I've long wanted to read some of Root's work but have not done this yet. You've inspired me!

[Anita]

Rob,

Looks delicious! The galette looks perfect for a leisurely morning, and the strawberry crepe is scrumptious!

[Bea at La Tartine Gourmande]

Yummie! Crêpes, say it and I am there!!!! But of course I was born French so that helps! I have a post about a galette coming as well ;-) so we are in synch!!!!

[Michelle]

Oh Yum. Yum. Yum. Crepes are a favorite at our house - I'd love to try the buckwheat crepes because we've stuck mostly to sweet ones...filled with nutella or fruit and drizzled with merlot chocolate sauce...mmm....I know what we'll be making soon!

[rob]

Ivonne, we own both The Food of Italy, and The Food of France, and they've been very helpful in giving us some ideas on what we'd like to eat on our trips. That, and Root is a good writer, so both books are fun to browse too.

Anita, the crepes are only somewhat leisurely. It really depends on the filling, but I'd certainly do it again.

Bea, I can't wait to see your take on galettes. They're wonderfully versatile, and can adapt to pretty much whatever you've got in the kitchen (and I know you have some fun ingredients).

Michelle, merlot chocolate sauce sounds pretty tasty. As for Nutella, I think my posts speak to my insane lust for it.