# La chandeleur



## valerie

Today is in France the main day to make crêpes. So I'd like cooks to share with us their best recipies. (I'll add mine later, after I chek it in my book  )








Here is some more information in French:

http://www.meilleurduchef.com/cgi/mdc/l/fr/apprendre/reportages/chandeleur.html


----------



## cuchuflete

valerie said:
			
		

> Today is in France the main day to make crêpes. So I'd like cooks to share with us their best recipies. (I'll add mine later, after I che*c*k it in my book  )
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is some more information in French:
> 
> http://www.meilleurduchef.com/cgi/mdc/l/fr/apprendre/reportages/chandeleur.html



May we all come to your home to sample the cooking?

Merci,
Cuchu


----------



## valerie

Tonight, time will be short. but you are all invited on sunday...

Now, here it goes:

you need for 25-30 crêpes:
- 250 gr flour (half a pound, no idea in cup)
- 3 eggs (white and yolk)
- half a liter milk
- 3 soup spoon oil
- a pinch of salt
- a zest of lemon or orange

Prepare the mixture in advance:
In a bowl, mix the flour and the salt. Give it a form like a volcano, and put in the crater the eggs, the oil and the grated zest. Mix with a spatula, trying to incorporate all the flour, and pour the milk very slowly. Go on mixing till all the flour is mixed and then add the remaining milk. The risk is that some flour lumps are left in the mixture. You can also use a whisk. Leave it 1 hour.

Prepare the pan (at best a new one):
Heat it up. Take a fork, tie kitchen paper around it with a thread. Prepare a small bowl of oil. Between crêpe and crêpe you will dip the fork into oil and then pass it on the surface of the pan. 

Do the crêpes:
When the pan is hot, pass the fork on it, then take the pan in one hand. With the other hand pour a ladleful of mixture into the pan, while you are moving it from one side to the other so that the mixture spread on the whole surface. Put it back to fire, and wait till the edges begin to unstick. Then shake the pan, the crêpe should unstick entirely. then 2 methods:
- turn the crêpe over using your fingers, a spatula...
- toss it
Leave it a little more in the pan and the crêpe is done. Put it on a plate, pour some sugar on it, and start another one. Usually the first one is not the best, as the pan is not hot enough, so be persistant, it IS worth.

Well, that was a big effort, *anyone so kind as to correct my english please*?


----------



## cuchuflete

Gracias por la invitación.  Your English is very good today.  Just one question...this may be a BE/AE difficulty I'm having....

Kitchen paper?   Is that wax paper...a paper with a very thin coating of wax on it?  

You make this sound like something I might be able to prepare, thanks to your very thorough instructions.  All of my pans, however, are quite old and used.
Un saludo,
Cuchu


			
				valerie said:
			
		

> Tonight, time will be short. but you are all invited on sunday...
> 
> Now, here it goes:
> 
> you need for 25-30 crêpes:
> - 250 gr flour (half a pound, no idea in cup)
> - 3 eggs (white and yolk)
> - half a liter milk
> - 3 soup spoon oil
> - a pinch of salt
> - a zest of lemon or orange
> 
> Prepare the mixture in advance:
> In a bowl, mix the flour and the salt. Give it a form like a volcano, and put in the crater the eggs, the oil and the grated zest. Mix with a spatula, trying to incorporate all the flour, and pour the milk very slowly. Go on mixing till all the flour is mixed and then add the remaining milk. The risk is that some flour lumps are left in the mixture. You can also use a whisk. Leave it 1 hour.
> 
> Prepare the pan (at best a new one):
> Heat it up. Take a fork, tie kitchen paper around it with a thread. Prepare a small bowl of oil. Between crêpe and crêpe you will dip the fork into oil and then pass it on the surface of the pan.
> 
> Do the crêpes:
> When the pan is hot, pass the fork on it, then take the pan in one hand. With the other hand pour a ladleful of mixture into the pan, while you are moving it from one side to the other so that the mixture spread on the whole surface. Put it back to fire, and wait till the edges begin to unstick. Then shake the pan, the crêpe should unstick entirely. then 2 methods:
> - turn the crêpe over using your fingers, a spatula...
> - toss it
> Leave it a little more in the pan and the crêpe is done. Put it on a plate, pour some sugar on it, and start another one. Usually the first one is not the best, as the pan is not hot enough, so be persistant, it IS worth.
> 
> Well, that was a big effort, *anyone so kind as to correct my english please*?


----------



## Benjy

kitchen paper=paper towel? form what shes using it for...


----------



## Ralf

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> Kitchen paper? Is that wax paper...a paper with a very thin coating of wax on it?


Well, I think it is more a sort of absorbent paper (i. e. cellulose paper), since you'll have to ensure to apply a thin and uniformly distributed 'coating' of oil onto your pan's surface.

Good luck.


----------



## Sev

Ralf said:
			
		

> Well, I think it is more a sort of absorbent paper (i. e. cellulose paper), since you'll have to ensure to apply a thin and uniformly distributed 'coating' of oil onto your pan's surface.
> 
> Good luck.


 
Yes we call this paper in French "sopalin".


----------



## Benjy

Sev said:
			
		

> Yes we call this paper in French "sopalin".



which in engalnd we call



			
				Benjy said:
			
		

> paper towel


----------



## valerie

well done you all, I meant paper towel   (grrrr the only word  I did not check...)


----------



## Whodunit

As-tu posté cet article aujourd'hui? Il faut que je le retienne pour l’école. Qu’est-ce qui est la chose exceptionnelle de la Chandeleur ?

C’est chaque année le 2 février ? Est-ce que le mot juste en anglais est « Chandlemas » ?

Peut-on manger des autres choses comme des crêpes ?

Excuse-moi pour mon mauvais français …


----------



## valerie

whodunit said:
			
		

> As-tu posté cet article aujourd'hui? Il faut que je le retienne pour l’école. Qu’est-ce qui est la chose exceptionnelle de la Chandeleur ?
> 
> C’est chaque année le 2 février ? Est-ce que le mot juste en anglais est « Chandlemas » ?
> 
> Peut-on manger des autres choses comme des crêpes ?
> 
> Excuse-moi pour mon mauvais français …



Oui, la chandeleur c'est toujours le 2 février, on peut manger ce qu'on veut, et les crêpes c'est en plus. Pour l'origine de la fête, regarde dans le lien que j'ai mis dans le message nº1.

Je ne sais pas comment on appelle cette fête en Anglais, quelqu'un nous aide?


----------



## valerie

Ton français est tout sauf mauvais. Voici quelques corrections



			
				whodunit said:
			
		

> As-tu posté cet article aujourd'hui? Il faut que je le *garde* pour l’école. Qu’est-ce qui est *exceptionnel à* la Chandeleur ?
> 
> C’est chaque année le 2 février ? Est-ce que le mot juste en anglais est « Chandlemas » ?
> 
> Peut-on manger* autre chose que * des crêpes ?
> 
> Excuse-moi pour mon mauvais français …


----------



## zebedee

valerie said:
			
		

> Oui, la chandeleur c'est toujours le 2 février, on peut manger ce qu'on veut, et les crêpes c'est en plus. Pour l'origine de la fête, regarde dans le lien que j'ai mis dans le message nº1.
> 
> Je ne sais pas comment on appelle cette fête en Anglais, quelqu'un nous aide?




Je ne sais pas, moi non plus, comment on appelle cette fête en Anglais. Je l'ai cherchée chez google mais sans résultat. Il existe aux États-Unis "Groundhog Day" qui tombe le 2 fevrier aussi. Il y a un film avec Andie MacDowell et Bill Murray qui parle de ce jour-ci mais je ne sais pas comment ça s'appelle en français.

 En Angleterre nous mangeons les crêpes le Mardi Gras. Mmmmm...délicieux!

cheers,
zeb


----------



## Whodunit

Hm, j'ai trouvé qu'on dirait "Mariä Lichtmess" en allemand, aussi le 2 février et quand j'en ai cherché la traduction, j'ai trouvé le mot anglais "Candlemas". Je ne cherchais pas encore en google (peut-on dire "je ne googlais pas encore"?).

En Allemagne, on ne mange rien d'exceptionel.

Valérie, merci pour tes corrections.


----------



## valerie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlemas
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandeleur
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darstellung_des_Herrn


----------



## zebedee

valerie said:
			
		

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlemas
> http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandeleur
> http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darstellung_des_Herrn



Merci, Valerie! Je ne connaissais pas cette fête et je trouve ça très interessant, surtout: 

"In France, Candlemas (French: La Chandleur) is celebrated with crêpes, which must be eaten only after eight p.m. If the cook can flip a crêpe while holding a coin in the other hand, the family is assured of prosperity throughout the coming year."

Vous fêtez ce jour-ci comme ça avec la pièce dans la main, dans ta famille?

zeb


----------



## cuchuflete

zebedee said:
			
		

> Merci, Valerie! Je ne connaissais pas cette fête et je trouve ça très interessant, surtout:
> 
> "In France, Candlemas (French: La Chandleur) is celebrated with crêpes, which must be eaten only after eight p.m. If the cook can flip a crêpe while holding a coin in the other hand, the family is assured of prosperity throughout the coming year."
> 
> Vous fêtez ce jour-ci comme ça avec la pièce dans la main, dans ta famille?
> 
> zeb



Thanks to all for the education about Candlemas.  Here we simply call it, as Zeb has said, Groundhog day.  The legend is that if the groundhog comes out of his burrow, and can see his shadow[there is sunshine], we will have six more weeks  of winter weather.  Here is a site that gives a bit of the history...http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm.

saludos,
Cuchu


----------



## cuchuflete

It took a bit of hunting, but it seems that groundhog is Marmota en español.  How do you say it in French?


----------



## Whodunit

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> It took a bit of hunting, but it seems that groundhog is Marmota en español. How do you say it in French?



In French it is "marmotte" and specific it is "marmotte américaine" as far as I know.


----------



## Whodunit

valerie said:
			
		

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlemas
> http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandeleur
> http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darstellung_des_Herrn



Je ne connaissais même pas que cette fête s’appelle comme l’article disait en allemand. Merci.


----------



## valerie

Well, in my family as in most french families, the religious meaning of the day is not known. The feast only exist because of the crêpes. (Just look at french sites googling chandeleur, they are very few 'religious sites).

In my family we do not flop the crêpes with a coin in the hand, altough I had heard about this habit sometime ago. The important heritage from my mother is how to flop (or toss?) the crêpes perfectly


----------



## valerie

I've heard on the spanish radio someone commenting weather on the 2nd of february. And they were saying, as the day had not been very beautiful, that we would get six more cold weeks. Seems similar to groundday, except for the grounds.


----------



## Lems

*Yemanjá, the queen of the seas*

In Brazil, specially among the black communities, it is celebrated the feast of Yemanjá, the queen of the seas.[/B]

Yemanjá, originally _Yeye oman ejá_, (mother of the fishes), is the Orixá, a *goddess of the African * yorubá nations. She is personalized as beautiful woman with big breasts symbolizing the motherhood and nourishing.

In Bahia, she is syncretized with Our Lady of the Candles, and the feast of February 2nd is very popular and convene a huge crowd who bring presents to the Queen of the Seas. Flowers, perfumes and other gifts that please a beautiful woman and personal requests as well, fill the baskets that are taken by boats to the sea where they are left on the waves.

The religious use crystal like bead necklaces and light blue apparels. Lamb sacrifices and white corn based food are offered in ceremonies. A personification of Yemanjá dances simulating the waves movement and a peculiar movement of the hands alternated taken to the forehead and the lumbar region. Yemanjá is greeted by yelling _*Odóia!!*_

Lems
(I appreciate your corrections.)
_________________________________________________
Slavery was no abolished. It was changed to 8 hours a day.


----------



## zebedee

Lems said:
			
		

> *Yemanjá, the queen of the seas*
> 
> In Brazil, specially among the black communities, it is celebrated the feast of Yemanjá, the queen of the seas is celebrated.[/B]
> 
> Yemanjá, originally _Yeye oman ejá_, (mother of the fishes), is the Orixá, a *goddess of the African * yorubá nations. She is personalized as a  beautiful woman with big breasts symbolizing the motherhood and nourishing.
> 
> In Bahia, she is syncretized merged  with Our Lady of the Candles, and the feast of February 2nd is very popular and convene a huge crowd gathers who bring presents to the Queen of the Seas. Flowers, perfumes and other gifts that please a beautiful woman and personal requests as well, fill the baskets that are taken by boats to the sea where they are left on the waves.
> 
> The religious use crystal-like bead necklaces and light blue apparels. Lamb sacrifices and white corn-based food are offered in ceremonies. A personification of Yemanjá dances simulating the waves' movement and a peculiar movement of the hands alternated taken to the forehead and the lumbar region. Yemanjá is greeted by yelling _*Odóia!!*_
> 
> Lems
> (I appreciate your corrections.)
> _________________________________________________
> Slavery was not abolished. It was changed to 8 hours a day.



Lems, it sounds like tremendous fun! I'll have to head your way one February 2nd to join in! Odóia!!!
lovely to hear from you,
zeb


----------



## Benjy

valerie said:
			
		

> Well, in my family as in most french families, the religious meaning of the day is not known. The feast only exist because of the crêpes. (Just look at french sites googling chandeleur, they are very few 'religious sites).
> 
> In my family we do not flop the crêpes with a coin in the hand, altough I had heard about this habit sometime ago. The important heritage from my mother is how to flop (or toss?) the crêpes perfectly



you want to be *flippin* them pancakes


----------



## Lems

zebedee said:
			
		

> Lems, it sounds like tremendous fun! I'll have to head your way one February 2nd to join in! Odóia!!!
> lovely to hear from you,
> zeb


Zeb, thanks for the corrections.

Every year I promise myself I'll get to know the Yemanjá feast, but... I only remember the day after.  

Next year I'll be waiting for you one week ahead, Zeb.  

Odóia!!!

Lems
__________________________________________________
Slavery was not abolished. It was changed to 8 hours a day


----------



## Wordsmyth

valerie said:
			
		

> well done you all, I meant paper towel   (grrrr the only word  I did not check...)


 Back to the 'paper' issue : Valérie, don't reproach yourself. Sopalin *is* commonly called 'kitchen paper' in England - & is what you'd use for your crêpe pan. 

Benjy's 'paper towel' is also OK but less specific: it can equally describe the things you find in public toilets (when there's no wall-mounted jet engine that efficiently dries your hands in about 10 minutes!).


----------



## zebedee

Wordsmyth said:
			
		

> the things you find in public toilets (when there's no wall-mounted jet engine that efficiently dries your hands in about 10 minutes!).


...leaving your wrists all clammy and cold and the tips of your fingers charred to a crisp...


----------



## Gil

whodunit said:
			
		

> In French it is "marmotte" and specific it is "marmotte américaine" as far as I know.


Aussi appelé "siffleux" au Canada:

Le terme siffleux est une appellation populaire qui tient son origine du sifflement que fait l'animal en cas de danger, juste avant de se mettre à l'abri.


----------



## Wordsmyth

Gil said:
			
		

> Aussi appelé "siffleux" au Canada:
> ............


Ah, tu parles de la marmotte!!  ... pas du "wall-mounted engine that dries your hands ...", qui serait plutôt un "souffleux"??

(PS. Je me permets le tutoiement; je préfère 'forum-el' au formel; si ça vous dérange, fai(te)s-moi signe).


----------

