Tag: crepes

I Needed a Burger, in France

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Food and drink, France6 Comments

Thirty six years ago this month I went on a date with the lady who would become my love, the mother of our wonderful daughter, my best friend, as well as my travel and food buddy. We have made it through the ups and downs of any relationship yet we still love to eat and travel together. Today I had my first real hamburger in over 16 months – before we moved to France.

When we moved to France we did so with the intention of embracing the culture, and we have done so quite well. Our UK friends still have people bring them beans and brown sauce from the UK, we have only asked for red pepper flakes and Panko. We strive to eat what is here, though we do make nachos at home now and then. But we live in another country, one that is known for its food, which we accept and enjoy.

One of the challenges of living as rural as we do is that the variety of famous French foods is limited. At even the smallest of cafes the food is done quite well but often without variety. It is the same if you live in rural USA, all the restaurants have similar food, I know as I have traveled there. So we do at times crave different tastes. We go to Mayenne to have Indian food, we get to Paris as often as practical to visit wonderful cafes. But every now and then a food from the past gets into my brain as a craving – a hamburger.

Early in our relationship Tricia, who has a degree in nutrition and food science, told me, “If you are going to have a burger then have the juiciest greasiest one you want, enjoy it, but just don’t do it everyday.” Some folks, when they learn that she has a degree in nutrition, give me their sympathy, thinking we must have an austere diet, au contraire, we eat most everything, but with a bit of balance – frites don’t count of course. So it made sense that when I began to vocalize my craving for a burger she was completely supportive.

The French do eat hamburgers, it is common to see them on menus, even at rather upscale restaurants. McDonalds are relatively common, and it is not because McD has forced themselves on the French. McDonalds is a big business, they would not stay in France if the French were not patronizing their restaurants, the French eat hamburgers.

BUT… Often the burgers I see on the plates of other diners do not look much like what the burgers in the US look like. I did order a burger last summer, the bun was black, not gray, not burned from grilling, but black. I have no idea what kind of flour or process made it that way, I have seen the same at other restaurants. It’s texture was like a macaroon, almost like eating air; defiantly not a genuine burger in my book.

The other interesting difference is that when you see a person eat a burger in France it is almost always with a knife and fork, not picking it up and eating it with your hands. In France most everything is eaten with a knife and fork, even pizza.

There is a chain of restaurants here in western France that promotes itself as American food, Buffalo Grill. We have driven by them over the year but never stopped, well today we did, in Le Mans.

They have burgers, ribs, chili, even buffalo. So the time and place was right to fill my craving.

I ordered the Extra Cheeseburger – here is the menu description: Steak haché de bœuf façon bouchère ou galette végétale façon chili, cheddar, sauce cheddar, sauce premium, oignon, salade, cornichon. Or, thanks to Google Translate: ground beef steak or vegetable patty chili style, cheddar, cheddar sauce, premium sauce, onion, salad, pickle.

Confusing description aside, it was a genuine American style cheeseburger and I enjoyed every bite – and of course I picked up and ate it properly, with my hands. Tricia had fish and chips, again quite good. So my hamburger craving is satiated for now, and we discovered a place that will work well if we want a taste of non-French cuisine.

I started this blog yesterday, today we are in Montmorillon in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. We had lunch with friends at a crêperie where I had a galette with chicken and curry sauce, so delicious. French food is great, but every now and then a bit of home comfort is required. We will visit Buffalo Grill again, there is one just 30 minutes away in Flers.

On Crepes and Crepe Pans

On By Terry ChristophersonIn cooking, Food and drinkLeave a comment

Thin pancakes are ubiquitous around the world. The Mexican tortilla, the gold rush flapjack, and Indian nan are just three styles of bread requiring a simple batter and the convenience of a griddle over a fire. The French, naturally, turned the simple into the elegant – voila le crepe.

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Brittany is usually credited with being the home of the crepe, yet crepes are popular throughout France. Traditionally they are served on February 2nd, Candlemas, Virgin Mary’s Blessing Day. If you could catch the crepe in the frying pan with your right hand when it was flipped, while you were holding a gold coin in your left hand, you would have a wealthy and prosperous year. Of course these days, if you actually own real gold coins you must be doing quite well already, but it is a delightful tradition.

Crepe dough is a basic combination of eggs (2), flour (1 cup), milk (1¼ cup) , salt (¼ tsp). It should have the consistency of heavy cream, quite thin for a batter. (This is important) There are those who embellish it by using beer, and if making sweet crepes vanilla or sugar may be added. (I have eaten more savory crepes than sweet) I find that a wire whisk in a large bowl is faster and just as effective as the KitchenAid Mixer. Be sure to refrigerate for at least one hour for the best results. For those with lactose issues, unsweetened  soy milk works just fine, and I have used gluten free flour and all was well.

The real key to success, other than not having the batter too thick – I mention that again thanks to many disasters when it was too thick – is technique and the right crepe pan.  There are two pans in my kitchen dedicated to specific tasks, which I tend to be protective of, cringing when others want to use them. One is my egg pan, a cheap 8 inch, non-stick fry pan with rounded sides. In my days as a fry cook I learned to flip eggs, without breaking the yokes. I prefer that this pan is used for nothing but eggs.

My crepe pan is mine, no sharing, don’t even ask. It is new, replacing other nonstick pans, or a round cast iron griddle, all of which have produced admirable crepes over the years. But my new “de Buyer” from France is special. 6144prxibwl-_sl1500_

The de Buyer family has produced ironworks and cookware in France since 1810. In 2015 the de Buyer family sold its shares to Edify; thankfully they have continued the tradition of high quality that was established long ago.

My pan is from the deBuyer Mineral – B collection. The B is for beeswax which protects the finish of the pan until the pan is seasoned for use.  It is the 11.8 inch size, I like the largest diameter as you can make crepes of all sizes in it. De Buyer’s are iron pans, you treat them much as you would cast-iron, they need seasoning, and you never use detergent on them. They develop non-stick properties without chemicals. My first use was a success, limited only by a bit of user error in the cooking.

Cooking crepes takes practice, but that does not mean you should fear it. The first key is to have the batter thin (did I mention that already?). Most cook the crepes in a bit of butter, over a medium high heat, this is a quick process which throws many people off. My pan takes about ⅓ Cup of batter.

There are various techniques, find yours. Some say pour the batter at the top of the pan, which is tilted away from you, letting the batter run down, evening it out by tilting the pan to make it round. You have to work quick as the batter will begin to firm up immediately. Another is to pour the batter into the center of the pan in a circular motion, then spread it out by rotating the pan, letting it run to the edges; I have had better results with this than the edge-pouring method.

At the creperies on the streets in Paris, they spread the batter with a spatula. My new de Buyer came with a wooden spatula, so that is my next challenge, I am expecting great results.

The crepe should cook for less than a minute on the first side, then be flipped (gold coin optional) or turned to cook the other side. This is when you add the fillings – cheese, ham, mushrooms, the list is pretty much limitless. When it is brown, fold the crepe over , slide onto a plate, pour a glass of wine, enjoy.

Give crepes a try, they are a wonderful quick meal, fun to make, and a pleasure to eat. theWinesketcher wishes you Bon appetit.