French "Chandeleur" Day: the art of just-enough detox before more feasting

Spoiler: this weekend you have a new excuse to eat crêpes.

The French have mastered the fine art of balancing your healthy habits—just long enough after the holiday season. Just when you think, “Alright, it’s January—time to get my life together,” they let you live in that illusion for about... three weeks.

You sip your green juices, commit to your little Dry January, and convince yourself that soup is a lifestyle. And then… it’s Chandeleur! On February 2nd, you suddenly have the perfect excuse to enjoy crêpes for breakfast, lunch, and even snacks.

My gluten-free, dairy-free Crêpes recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white rice flour (160 g)

• ¼ cup quinoa flour (26 g) – or buckwheat, teff, sorghum…

• ¼ cup tapioca starch or potato starch (35 g)

• 4 medium eggs

• 2 cups unsweetened soy milk (500 ml) - or regular milk

• a pinch of salt

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a hand whisk, then add the mix of flours, continuing to stir quickly with the whisk to avoid any lumps.

• Then add the milk, a little at a time, dissolving it well without making lumps. The amount of liquids could look like too much. If you prefer, add them a little at a time by testing the texture you want to achieve. I regularly use the whole quantity because I prefer the crêpes very thin, in the true Parisian style.

• Add the pinch of salt and if possible, leave the batter to rest for half an hour.

• Preheat a large, flat non stick pan on medium to high heat.

• Optionally, grease with a teaspoon of butter (only to begin with). If you have a good non stick pan, it shouldn’t be necessary.

• Pour about ¾ of a ladle of batter onto the pan and quickly tilt tilting the pan in all directions to distribute the dough well. Heat until the surface is cooked, then when the edges start to come up, flip the crêpe and cook the other surface for about a minute, or until the crêpe becomes lightly golden.
  If the dough seems too thick, add a tbsp of water at a time and try again.

• Proceed with the reaming batter.

• Stack the crepes onto a plate, and serve with your favorite topping.

Toppings? You do you. A very classic one is just lemon and sugar. Or your favorite hazelnut and cocoa spread. But also almond butter and bananas, dark chocolate and crushed hazelnuts. Just don’t pretend you’re “detoxing” anymore. We all know the truth.

Happy Chandeleur.

Marta