Crêpes for La Chandeleur: Colour your Crêpe this Pancake Day, and for La Chandeleur (Candlemas Day), with a tasty selection of conserves and pancake recipes from me and Bonne Maman.

Image: Bonne Maman

Colour your Crepe

with

Bonne Maman

Image: Bonne Maman

Stepping into a little French Cafe at South Kensington in London I was met with a scene that wouldn’t have been out of place in Paris, Bordeaux or any town or village in Britanny…..an old painted dresser with a vintage enamel jug filled with jonquils added a touch of spring, whilst jars of ingredients and French vintage tins, plates and bowls added to the Gallic picture. There was a cooking service station set up to one side with a large crepe stone and lots of enticing fillings. The wooden tables were dressed with yet more spring flowers, as well as jars of cutlery and gaily coloured gingham napkins. I was attending a special press event with Bonne Maman to encourage people to “Colour your Crêpe” this Candlemas Day, (2nd February) which is known as La Chandeleur in France, so French Pancake Day then.

My invitation promised the opportunity to have a go at cooking my own crêpes, which I did. There were several types of crêpes on offer, but I opted to make a traditional buckwheat one, which was savoury, and was filled with goat’s cheese, pickled onion rings, air-dried ham, Bonne Maman Fig Conserve and mesclun salad. It was a delightful concoction and as regular readers will know I am more a savoury person than a sweet person! Saying that however, I was tempted by the offer of dessert, and a little later I was seen tucking into a delectable Crêpes Suzette which was made with Bonne Maman Bitter Orange Marmalade and Grand Marnier, bien sur!

Image: Bonne Maman

I love the concept of Colour your Crêpe, which gives you the opportunity to delve into Bonne Maman’s delectable range of conserves, marmalade and compotes, and then to paint a culinary picture of deliciousness for the La Chandeleur table. And it’s at this point that I’d like to share some exciting news – over the next couple of months I am working in a creative collaboration with Bonne Maman, with a view to developing some new pancake recipes with them using a selection of their delicious conserves. In the meantime however, you can have a go at some of their recipes just in time for La Chandeleur on the 2nd of February by popping over to their website here: Bonne Maman Recipes And, however you decide to colour your crêpes, I am sure they will be delicious.

Image: Bonne Maman

Image: Bonne Maman

Before I go, here’s some more information about La Chandeleur in France. Not only do the French eat a lot of crêpes on Chandeleur, but they also do a bit of fortune-telling while making them. It is traditional to hold a coin in one hand and the crêpe pan in the other, then flip the crêpe into the air. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year. My French friend Karine whose family are from Breton also add a good glug of Calvados to their pancake batter too, which sounds divinely indulgent et pourquoi pas? You can read more about this traditional French pancake day here: Crêpes de la Chandeleur (Candlemas Pancakes) for Candlemas Day That’s all for today, please do keep popping back to see what I create with Bonne Maman, and have a wonderful weekend, with piles of pancakes I hope, Karen