To one who was reared, as I was, in a pious family in a small French town the feasts and fasts of the church calendar are beloved memories; the inward and spiritual grace of the religious observances was always accompanied by the outward and visible signs of feasting and fasting. As a small boy trudging home from school, I had only a vague knowledge of the progression of dares on the Church calendar, but my eyes and nose told me all I needed to know about coming events. The haggling over the price of l'agneau de Pâques, the Easter lamb which Maman had asked the butcher to reserve for her was a sure sign that Easter was not far off. The haunting, slightly pungent smell of la friture, released into the soft spring air by beignets sizzling in the big black frying kettle, signified the approach of Carnaval more vividly than could any mere calendar. Alors, even a baby knew that bowls of crêpe batter on the kitchen table meant that we were on our way to Shrove Tuesday and the beginning of Lent. I confess that for this small boy the food of the holidays may have taken on undue importance!
Of course, beignets and crêpes were not restricted to the Carnaval season; we had them all the year round, but never so frequently or in such quantity. At Carnaval time we had crêpes for luncheon, for supper, and at every holiday party. 1 remember the big girls, my tante Alexandrine, for instance, practicing at tossing the crêpes in big black skillets. Everyone knew that if a girl couldn't toss a large crêpe, have it turn in mid-air and come clown squarely in the center of the pan, she could never hope to get a husband!
I remember, too, my own efforts, Even as a youngster of eight, 1 had determined that I would be a chef; so if mere girls could make crêpes, why not this embryo chef? I waited my chance, and as soon as Maman went out of the kitchen, leaving a bowl of batter unguarded on the table, I fell to work. 1 buttered the pan and poured in some of the batter. Was it enough, or too little? Was the pan hot enough? Was the crêpe browning properly? I didn't know. All I knew was that a crêpe should be tossed, and toss it I did, vigorously. A sticky blub of half-cooked crêpe fell soggily back, half in the pan and half on the hot stove, burning and smelling to high heaven, The end of that little adventure lies mercifully buried in my subconscious! I know now that it takes practice to make good crêpes, but 1 assure you that once you master the technique you will not find it at all difficult. There are a few practical hints that will be useful to the amateur: First, be sure to use a skillet with a bottom heavy enough to hold the heat well and distribute it evenly. A lightweight pan, or a pan that is warped and uneven, will not do. Use a pan just the size of the crêpe you wish to make. It is customary to let the batter stand for two hours or so after it is mixed There is no scientific explanation for this step; it is always done, and it does make better crêpes—perhaps, I have sometimes conjectured, because the flavor of the flour is improved by its milk bath.
Butter the hot crêpe pan lightly; you can brush melted butter on the pan with a pastry brush, or if you like, peel back the paper on a stick of butter and run the stick over the pan. The amount of batter used determines the thickness of the crêpe; a little experimentation will soon show you the best amount to use. To ensure crêpes of uniform size, use a measuring spoon or a ladle. Generally, one and a half tablespoons of batter will be enough for a five-inch crêpe. When the butter is very hot, pour in the batter all at once and quickly tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the pan evenly and forms a perfect round crêpe. This is the critical moment; the batter should spread before it begins to set. The crêpe browns quickly; the top side will begin to look dry in less than two minutes. Lift the edge of the crepe with a spatula to make sure that the bottom is browned, and quickly flip it over. Never turn the crêpe more than once.
If the crêpes are to be reheated for serving, they may be made in advance, as long as a day before they are to be served.
Beignets were the other Carnaval specialty, particularly the kind that are sprinkled with sugar and eaten before they have time to cool. There are several formulas for beignets. Those for this Classes in Classic Cuisine are yeast raised, and resemble American doughnuts. They are delicious. Another time I will take up the beignets that are made with fritter batter and that incorporate vegetables, fish, meat, or fruit, and a third kind made with basic ebon paste, the cream puff mixture. These puff up in the hot fat in which they are cooked. the way a cream pull does in the oven.
One word of caution: Much of the success of beignets depends upon their cooking; the temperature of the fat is of great importance. It must be hot enough to keep the cakes from becoming fat soaked, and yet not so hot that the beignets brown on the outside before the inside cooks. Until you learn from experience what the proper temperature is and how to maintain it, a thermometer is your best guide; 370° F. to 375° F. is the right temperature for beignets. If you do a great deal of deep fat frying, you will enjoy an automatic electric fryer. This appliance is equipped with a thermostat that keeps the fat at the correct temperature, and it will probably repay its purchase price in fat saved, because the fat is spared the destructive processes of accidental overheating.
To return now to the subject of crêpes: crêpes are not pancakes in the American manner. They are very thin and delicate, not cake like and fluffy; they use only egg as leavening. The crêpe batter is rather like a custard to which a very little flour has been added; when you eat the crêpe, you are aware of this custardy quality. And of course, while American pancakes are generally considered a breakfast dish, the French rarely if ever eat crêpes for breakfast; they serve them for dessert, or as an entree at luncheon or supper.
There are as many different recipes for crêpes as there are French cookbooks and French chefs, and I can guarantee that almost every one of them will be different, and will call for different proportions of flour, butter, and brandy. I give you several formulas here: for the delicate dessert crêpe, for the country-style crepe, which is easier for the beginner to handle, for crêpes that are to be filled with creamed spinach or the like for luncheon, and for crêpes to be used as hors-d'oeuvre or as a soup garnish. These last contain no brandy and little or no sugar.
Crêpes
Sift together 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add gradually 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks beaten together. Add 1 3/4 cups milk and stir all together to make a smooth batter. Add 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1 tablespoon rum or brandy. Strain the batter through a line sieve and let it stand for 2 hours before using.
Butter lightly a hot 5 or 5 1/2-inch skillet. Pour in a small amount of batter, enough to make a very thin layer, and quickly tilt the pan to let the batter run to the edges before it sets. It should set and become brown in about 2 minutes. Turn the crepe on the other side and cook it until it is golden brown. The more quickly the crepes cook, the more tender they will be. Fold them or roll them up. put them on a hot dish, and sprinkle them with powdered sugar.
For a mixture that is easier to handle use 1 1/2 cups milk instead of 1 3/4 cups. The crèpes will not be quite so thin and delicate.
Crêpes Ménagère (Country-Style Crêpes)
Sift together 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat in gradually with a wire whip 3 beaten eggs. Add 1 1/4 cups milk and a little vanilla, rum, or brandy. Mix the batter until it is smooth, strain it through a fine sieve, and let it stand for 2 hours. Cook the crêpes on both sides, arrange them on a hot serving dish, and sprinkle them with powdered sugar, or serve them with maple syrup or honey, or spread them with jelly or marmalade and roll them up.
Crêpes Suzette
Cook crepes and keep them warm. Rub 4 lumps loaf sugar on the skin of an orange. Mash the lumps of sugar on a plate with 3 tablespoons sweet butter. Put in the blazer of a chafing dish 2 or 3 tablespoons butter, the juice of 1 orange, a few drops of lemon juice, and 1/2 cup Curaçao, Cointreau, Benedictine, or Grand Marnier. Bring the mixture to a boil, and stir in the butter and sugar mixture. Lay the crêpes in the sauce and spoon the sauce over them. Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons butter if desired. Fold the crepes in quarters, sprinkle them with 1/2 cup warm brandy, and ignite the spirit.
Crêpes Strasbourgeoise
Prepare crêpes and spread them with sweet butter creamed with a little powdered sugar and flavored with kirsch.Roll up the crêpes, arrange them on a heatproof serving dish, sprinkle them with a little sugar, and glaze them quickly under the broiler.
Crêpes aux Ananas (Crépes with Pineapple)
Cut pineapple into very thin slices and drain the slices on paper towels. If fresh pineapple is used, it should be sweetened to taste. Prepare a crêpe batter. Pour a very thin layer of the batter in a hot lightly buttered skillet and tilt the pan to let the batter run into a circle slightly larger than the pineapple slices. Brown each crêpe on the underside, lay a slice of fruit on it, and cover the fruit with another very thin layer of crêpe batter. Turn the crêpe and brown the other side. Arrange the crêpes on a hot serving dish and sprinkle them with powdered sugar.
Crêpes for Luncheon
Sift together 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar and add gradually 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks beaten together. Add 1 3/4 cups milk and stir to make a very smooth batter. Strain the batter through a fine sieve. Let it stand for 2 hours before cooking the crêpes.
Crêpes aux épinards (Crêpes with Spinach)
Make luncheon crêpes and spread them with creamed spinach. Roll the crêpes and serve them hot, with sauce Mornay (January, 1957), if desired.
Crêpes à la Reine (Crêpes with Chicken)
Simmer 2 cups chopped cooked chicken meat in 1 cup cream until the liquid is reduced to half its original quantity. Add 1/2 cup cream sauce, salt to taste, and a little white pepper.
Spread luncheon crêpes with this chicken hash mixture, roll them, and serve them hot, with sauce Mornay (January, 1957), if desired.
Crêpes with Shellfish
Make luncheon crêpes and spread them with finely diced lobster or shrimp or crab meat mixed with enough bechamel sauce to bind the fish. Flavor with a little dry Sherry. Roll the crêpes and serve them very hot.
Crêpes for Soup Garnish
Sift together 1 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat in with a wire whip 2 beaten eggs. Add 1 cup milk (or half milk and half broth) and mix well. Follow the directions for cooking crêpes, but make them larger than usual. Cut the crepes in fine julienne strips, 1/4 inch wide or less, or in small rounds or in diamond shapes. Serve in consommé.
Crêpes for Hors-d'Oeuvre
Follow the directions for making crêpes for soup garnish, but make them quite small. Spread the crêpes with fish paste, caviar, or any hors-d'oeuvre mixture and roll them.
Crêpes with Cheese
Make crêpes for soup garnish, about 3 inches in diameter. Cut Swiss cheese into small sticks the thickness of a pencil and 2 or 3 inches long. Roll the cheese slicks in the crepes, dip the crêpes in egg beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water and then in fine, fresh bread crumbs. To serve, fry the rolls in deep hot fat. The cheese will melt to a creamy mass.
Beignets de Carnaval
Dissolve 1/2 cake or envelope yeast in 3 tablespoons lukewarm water. Dry granulated yeast requires slightly warmer water. Sift 1 cup flour onto a board or into a bowl and make a well in the tenter. Put the dissolved yeast in the well and add 1/2 cup soft butter, 1/3 cup sugar, a pinch of salt, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoons rum, a little vanilla extract, and the grated rind of 1 lemon. Mix all together well with the hands or with a heavy wooden spoon, gradually pulling the flour into the center. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Cover it and let it stand in a cool place for a few hours or overnight. Roll the dough into a very thin sheet and cut it into strips about 2/3-inch wide and flinches long. Tie each strip in a loose knot and let the knots rest for 20 minutes. Fry the beignets in deep hot fat (375'' F.) to a golden brown. Drain them on paper towels, sprinkle them with sugar, and serve immediately.
Beignets d'Orléans
Dissolve ½ cake or envelope yeast in 3 tablespoons lukewarm water. Dry granulated yeast requires slightly warmer water. Add ¼ cup lukewarm milk and then 1 cup flour, and beat all together well. Cover the sponge with a towel and put it in a warm place to rise until it is light and bubbly. Sift 3 cups flour into a howl, make a well in the center, and in the well put 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup soft butter, 3 eggs, and the grated rind of 1 lemon. Gradually pull the flour into the center with the hands or a heavy wooden spoon and add 1 cup warm milk little by little to make a soft dough. Add the yeast mixture and work the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Cut off small pieces of the dough, flatten them in the hands, and put 1 teaspoon jam in the center of each. Form the dough into balls around the jam. Let the beignets rise in a warm place until they double in bulk and fry them to a golden brown in deep hot fat (375° F.). Drain them on absorbent paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Beignets Suzette
Meat 2 cups milk with a piece of vanilla bean and gradually add 1/2 cup farina, stirring briskly to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick. Remove the vanilla bean. Add 1/2 cup sugar. 1 tablespoon sweet butter, and 2 slightly beaten egg yolks, and mix all together well. Return the pan to the heat and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Spread the batter about 3/4-inch thick on a buttered shallow pan or baking sheet, and chill it. Invert the pan on a floured pastry board. Cut the dough with a regular doughnut cutter. Dip the beignets in flour, then in beaten egg. and finally in fine white bread crumbs, and saute them in hot butter to a golden brown on both sides. Arrange the fritters in a ring and put a candied cherry in the center of each. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve hot with a fruit sauce.