The Crepe Season
The season of the crepe. Hugo assures me that crepes will not make me fat. Just eggs, milk and flour, he says. Checking the ingredients off on his fingers. Luckily the eggs and the milk come from the farm because he goes through heaps of both. He makes a big batch of crepe batter every few days and we eat them for breakfast and sometimes dinner. And he often has another late at night before going to bed.
He is going to give me a lesson on making the batter now that I have perfected cooking the crepe.
Yesterday I had roasted ham and brie in my breakfast crepe and he had Nutella. In fact he always has Nutella in his crepes.
I hope to do this with pictures for you one day but in case I forget:
The recipe for Hugo’s Crepes – (please feel free to halve the recipe – this boy has hollow legs)
- 500 g flour
- 8 eggs
- 1 litre of milk
- a little salt
(if you are making dessert crepes you can add a little sugar or vanilla or orange essence)
Sift all the flour into a big bowl, make a well, break in the eggs, (one handed while moving to French Rap) then beat the well while you drizzle in the milk mixing the milk into the eggs while incorporating the flour. This method was new to me.
I pour the batter into a big old Teapot to store in the fridge. So whenever a French teenager wants a snack, he heats the cast iron pan to smoking hot, rubs the end of a stick of butter over the surface, pours a little batter from the Teapot (then puts the lid back on and forgets to return it to the fridge), cook, flip, cook, eat.
I hope we get a photographic tutorial on the method from my wild French teenager! These are great.
We had such storms last night. HUGE thunder and lightening, internet and lights going on and off, deafening thunder and lightening like endless flashing lights – we were all on the verandah watching the show so no-one cared about the lights going off. A lot of rain, heavy rain. An Autumnal storm. The crops are ready to be brought in so it will rain.
Which reminds me here is a short video I made the day before yesterday to show you the sound that the dry corn makes in the breeze.
This did not play very well for me when I tested it so just close your eyes and listen to it. It is the sound I want you to hear and you can see that I am right back at the house recording it. Not too close at all.
Anyway last night the lightening was so persistent that I opened the barn doors for all the cows to come in – usually only the babies take cover. But those big cows look like a big lightening target to me. I know lightening has no eyes and it seems incongruous that lightening would hit a cow in the dark but I suppose it can. I mean in the dark storms don’t feel so scary. However erring on the side of caution I let them all in.
Boo is of course literally terrified and for hours after the storm was still sleeping in his special Storm Bed in my wardrobe behind my old coats (I really need to get in and clear all the old clothes out of that wardrobe!). What amazes me is that (here at least) only the dogs are afraid of the storms, the cows will graze and even the pigs graze in storms or stand about with their tails to the wind calmly chewing their cud. Last night when I checked them after the storm had abated they were all snoozing peacefully. Imagine if Sheila was afraid of storms, she would take out whole fences trying to hide from the thunder.
Speaking of Sheila I think she has come into heat, (after all this time) and yesterday she decided to systematically take apart the Rat House (ripping boards off the back wall) to try and get to Manu (the not so baby boar) on the other side. Consequently (as Poppy is coming into heat too) all the big pigs were sent to their rooms, to think about their behaviour, for the duration. And tomorrow our dear Manu will take a ride to the West Barn and stay over there out of harms way. I want no breeding until January.
So, as I am seem to be playing Musical Pigs; Molly and Tahiti the little gilts will get to stay here and live in Manu’s field while they grow.
AND I just might have a surprise for you – coming to the farm next week. I am still in negotiations but I have finally found a young Llama that I can train as a full time guardian over at the West Barn. Initially though she will be at the home farm to bond with Naomi and Little and learn to come to my call and all those things, then they will all move Across The Way en masse.
Just for the record Jake my good friend lives in the house at the West Barn so they are not alone over there, he does a night time check before he goes to bed. And of course I am there two or three times in a day.
I have one last helper coming on Sunday, a girl who is going to help me and Hugo clean both barns and get them ready for winter. I know I was determined to close the kitchens but she seems like such a nice girl. She will only be here a few weeks.
Time for work for me.
I hope you have a lovely day,
Love celi
67 Comments on “The Crepe Season”
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I have visions of poor Manu shaking in his boots, as the ultimate Piggy Cougar came after him with intent! Who could say no to Sheila (apart from you, of course)? If she’s going to suddenly take an interest – and he is a handsome boy – then come January between Sheila and Poppy and eventually Molly and Tahiti, he’s going to be a busy piggy. Ah, it’s a hard life….
I know the poor wee doll,,, when i finally got Manu to the safety of the barn he checked that the door was a good strong one then lay down with a sigh! .. c
Oh no, how crazy is that!? Incredible clever boy! Is so afraid of that two big matrons…
The crepe recipe sounds delicious! I definitely wouldn’t mind trying Nutella in it. Mmmmmmmm…..
I love crèpes of any kind, For savoury fillings, get Hugo to tell you about Galettes, made from buckwheat flour. Yummy. I make a spectacular stack using about 6 galettes, interleaved with mayonnaise, chopped lettuce, cream cheese, or anything that’s handy, really. I top the stack with chopped hard boiled egg decorated with eg violets or nasturtiums. My favourite sweet fillings are: a knob of butter, a shake of sugar and a good squirt of lemon juice, but caramel au beurre salé runs a close second. You can tell that crèpes are a big feature in Normandy and Britanny.
I saw (here: http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime) yesterday that you were having a belter of a lightning storm. The worst just missed us of our second one on Wednesday. You can actually see the storms coming, live on that site.
Enjoy your weekend.
love,
ViV xox
Your stack sounds great. My first crèpes I ever tried were Crèpes Suzettes. When I was young. Mmmm, so good. Later, being at / in (?) Bretagne or Brittany I tasted that buckwheat things, the galettes. And liked them too. I used to have some work at Lyon two times a year and there I found a very nice tiny Crèperie two years ago in a small lane. They had all sorts of them – sooo yummy.
Mmm Viv, lemon juice and sugar is my favourite!
And when in Gascony, a splash of Armagnac 🙂
As you would! c
Aaaah, you make me suffer. Gorgeous pics. Gorgeous crèpes. They look so phantastically good. I’d like to have them right now. Thank you for the recipe. The teapot idea is glorious.
Thanks for the corn sound. It’s like steadily pouring heavy rain. In between the winds. Like it.
Love the expression “storm bed”. My cat had one too. In a wardrobe. That are the best places ever for pets in fear.
“All the big pigs were sent to their rooms, to think about their behaviour” – oh, you’re so cute, Celi! I can imagine that so very well. – I love the names you gave to the piglets: Molly and Tahiti. Sounds great.
Wow to the Llama! You are really surprizing.
A long post today. Lots of interesting news. – Have a nice day, Celi! I’m off to make the crèpe dough. 🙂 BTW how long does it have to stay in the fridge before using/baking it?
Half an hour or so, if you can wait that long!
They came out great. I made them Suzette-like. With a good amount of Grand Manier. I even lightened the alcohol so I had them flambéed (though I was a bit anxious at first). So delicious. Making crèpes to me is, was, always has been and always will be an art. I never managed it before. And today, with this great recipe, I came close to that how they should be. Great. Thank you Hugo. Thank you Celi. – And the best is: Whenever the craving comes over me – there is a TEAPOT in the fridge. Super idea and even a great idea & surprize for unannounced visitors.
Grand Marnier – sorry.
Well, that is just marvellous – i am impressed! c
I love Hugo’s reasoning on the non-fattening crepes…until we pile in the fillings…then the theory falls apart. A llama should make for some interesting stories. I am entranced by their long eyelashes. One of the smallish farms that I pass often (they raise wool sheep) also used to have a llama and it would stand always near the fence, watching the world go by. The llama has now been replaced with a small burro who always looks sad and much less intelligent than the llama gazing and ruminating…
Poor wee burro – Hugo (and possibly the new girl and I) will go and see her on monday I hope – it is the wee calves i worry about, especially as I hope to grow calves each year for a little travel money.. c
I hope it works for you to get the llama. We got “Ramos” a gelded male 10 years ago when we first got sheep. He is amazing! I’ve watched him chase coyotes and I believe he struck (they use their front feet to strike and they do bite) a mountain lion and prevented further killings – the lion did get one yearling lamb. My little band of 20 sheep follow Ramos – out to pasture, in at night and gather behind him when he perceives a threat – sometimes it’s only a lone moose passing through the creek bottom. He isn’t terribly people friendly which is good, but loves his sheep – hums – a sign of stress – when his girls are giving birth and lets the babies crawl all over him. Very interesting animal.
Gosh you have some predators alright – we only have coyotes.. c
Great news about the llama! Handle her constantly. We have a donkey guardian with our boy goats and we had a wonderful llama guardian with our does. He let those babies do anything to him, and he cuddled up with all the babies at night. I am really missing the old guy! I don’t think I want to start again with one, however. They live a long time!
Yes, i will , thank you, I will handle her often.. c
Crepes and Nutella…Miss A’s absolute favorite! And a llama! That will be great! 🙂
She and Hugo will get on well then! c
Very nice little crepe pic….I can’t imagine using 8 eggs in a recipe! Nutella is so big here in France…every supermarket has massive jars of the stuff, yet I don’t see masses of fat French people wandering around.
I need to get a few of those massive jars!! c
I must say I chuckled all the way through this. You just crack me up. Teenage boys are all bottomless pits. My brother would eat an entire loaf of bread with anything on it after a day at school. Folks make him join the Navy because they couldn’t afford to feed him. 🙂 We had crepes, the German version, for dinner often when dad was away. One of my favorite things to eat. I too would like to know why only domesticated animals are afraid of thunder and lightning. I’m terrified of lightning if I’m outdoors. Those sounds in the corn are so peaceful. The teapot idea is fantastic. I think it’s a man thing to forget to put things back in the fridge. 🙂 So now that I’ve had my fix of the farmy, I can start my day with a smile on my face. Going to an Oktoberfest to pick up my case of pickled garlic to get me though the winter. It’s how I manage to avoid colds and flu. 🙂
Thats funny – going to the Navy to get fed!! bread is made for boys especially when they do that searching thing through the kitchen! saying What can i eat! c
Love the German ‘dinner crepes’ – bet they were savoury and called ‘Komm Morgen Wieder’ [come again tomorrow 🙂 ! Uhuh: regular fare with me also as I was growing up !!!!
My grandson eats a bowl of cereal at frequent intervals, followed by bread and anything he can find. My stepson was the same, specially when he was playing rugby and training hard.
Ah, the sound of corn rustling in the wind…. makes me miss Nebraska. I will be returning to my home state in October and perhaps harvest will be in full swing. There is so much coming together this time of year in preparation for the winter season. With all of the work you do, a few itty bitty crepes are not going to hurt a thing!! Ha ha! Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
We are having a great weekend – hope yours is going well too? c
Indeed! It is a sweet time of the year here… cooler temps, a little rain, and some delightful outdoor time before Old Man Winter arrives. 🙂
Same here – a glorious day and I must get back out into it too! c
The only thing I’ve ever known a man to put back into the fridge is an empty milk or juice carton! 🙂 Aah Crepe Suzettes, must have had them the first time I went to a restaurant, unfortunately the gas bottle the MD was using exploded behind me – and I don’t think I ever had crepes again until adulthood, now I love them. Ooh a Llama that will be exciting. Laura
A llama! That should be fun. I know they do bite. Once a large flower shop here inthe burbs had a kind of petting zoo and there was a llama . I went to pet him and he bit my arm. surprise!
Reading all the comments, I learn so much from everyone. I wasn’t able to hear the corn though.
Thank you for the video of the corn rustling! When I saw the photo yesterday, I heard it distinctly in my memories of the farm where I lived as a child, among the other sounds of autumn, and now you’ve given us the real thing. As always, very entertaining post. Good morning from blazing hot California.
Mmm, crepes! And Go Hugo! At Cordon Bleu we always made them with melted butter and always made the batter the day before so it could rest in the fridge and do the gluten magic of silky, smooth crepes. It’s wonderful to make them fat and guilt free. (unless, of course, you stuff them with yummy cheeses or drench them in orange liqueur and cover them with heaps of whipped cream, but them, a little running around after naughty piggies the next day will take care of that. 😀
I could hear the corn rustling. What a haunting sound that must be in person. Love the crepes and will have to try them. Do you cook in a cast iron skillet or on a cast iron griddle? Do you flip by tossing or turning? Just curious! Would love to see a video of the process to answer all these details, having never attempted making crepes. 🙂 Exciting news about the Llama.
Hello Betsy, it’s just that easy as Celi says: cook, flip, cook, eat. 🙂 It’s like making pancakes.
I just took my simple small and coated pan and they turned out great. But there is an art to get the batter into the (well heated) pan and to distribute it as thin as possible with as little fat as possible. That’s the challenge in making crèpes in my opinion. I flip them by just turning them.
Happy crèpe making!
and yes i do use a cast iron pan , getting it smoking hot before i pour the batter in, and of course Hugo flips them!! crazily! c
Donkies make nice guardians also. Now you can get sheep again and shear, and card and comb and make rove…and…..
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Llama! I can’t wait to see pictures! They are rather wonderful.
Orange essence in crepes? You are brilliant!
It will be a new experience that is for sure.. I think she will do well with the little motherless calves. c
We had a guard llama growing up, named Lindbergh, to protect the lambs from coyotes. They can have such a marvelous spirit.
A llama, that’s great news. Lot of people around here have llamas….or alpacas…not sure which, same same different….some as guard animals, and others for the wool and spinning. Look forward to seeing pics of Lily Llama. My Mirrhi dog doesn’t care about thunder, but is terrified of the sound of the rain on the tin roof, she goes under my bed but as the bed’s not that high, she doesn’t all fit and leaves her butt hanging out, so I put a blanket over her and she thinks she’s well hid then…..I don’t have a wardrobe big enough for her to fit in.
Have a small farm of them next door . . . what beautiful animals : so am so waiting to see the one ‘farmy’ will own!
That made me laugh – a blanket on her bottom sticking out! poor lovey.
I don’t always get a chance to read your posts daily, but this one drew me in with the delicious photo of the crepe. Yum, yum! Thank you for sharing the recipe, and the idea of adding vanilla or orange essence sounds great. I love pancakes or crepes with lemon juice and maple syrup… simply divine! Perhaps I’ll make some tomorrow for a Sunday treat. 🙂
Looking forward to seeing photos of the llama!
A llama! I’m so excited! The crepes look and sound amazing. My daughter loves them. I love meeting Hugo, beating his eggs to rap music! Wonderful picture in my mind. Poor Sheila. Poor Manu. Poor Miss C!
Crepes! The perfect food creation. Now I will pass a sinful secret on to you. If you take those perfect crepes and spread them with my salted caramel sauce (recipe on Mrs.Butterfingers) you will truly think you have gone to heaven and can hear the angels sing.
One of my best childhood food memories… wafer thin crêpes with lemon juice & sugar 🙂 Love the teapot idea, and I have a few to choose from! A llama is exciting news.
Llamas tend to be bigger than alpacas. They are interesting creatures, but. They do spit when upset. Especially nasty since they chew their cud and deadly aim. Can’t wait to see her.
I loved listening to the corn!
‘A wild French teenager’ – huh ? – that very stylish, well brought up young man . . hmm ? French rap – a wee bit of a change after the Argentine tango ! Neat to have a teapot of crepe mixtures in the fridge . . . shan’t ruin a lovely Sunday morning with my professional ‘take’ on Nutella 🙂 🙂 🙂 !!!
While our dog does not get scared during storms..she did get a bit freaked out during yesterday morning’s walk in the city. We spotted a mama opposum (hissing and showing her very nasty sharp pointy teeth) carrying about 10 possumettes by a neighbor’s gate. We were about 15 feet away from her and definitely picked up speed on the walk after that encounter.
We don’t realize how bombarded our sense of hearing is on a daily basis until we have the chance to listen to something so natural as corn rattling in the wind. That was really nice.Thanks for thinking to share this.
Yes, unfortunately, lightning does hit cows. My mother was just a very little girl and visiting her grandma on a Sunday afternoon when it started storming. Great Grandma always had a cow and chickens, by the time my mother was around she didn’t keep pigs anymore. Great Grandma was holding mother and watching the lightning when the cow got struck, my mother was terrified and wouldn’t stop crying. Great Grandma had to call a shopkeeper and he generously opened his store so great grandma could buy my mother a pair of shoes which she promised to quiet her. Mother never got over being afraid of lightning. My dog is terrified of storms, over the years I’ve has some dogs that were and some that didn’t care at all. I will be maing the crepes soon, sounds delicious, and thanks for the recipe.
what a story – thank you..
Will one llama be happy, even with the company of other species? I’ve always seen them in twos as livestock guardians, same with donkeys.
I can’t help wondering if, after all, Sheila might do better with a smaller boar? She certainly knows her own mind, that girl!
I would LOVE to be able to make good crepes! Will stay tuned…
I hope she will be happy.. c
Love those rustling corn stalks. I could fall asleep to that. As for the storm, I’m with Boo. I need a box in a closet behind coats.
Ceci, out of interest, how do people end up coming to help at your farm? X
Many of my workers find me through wwoofers.com. Others rent the little Coop and have a luxurious farm stay! All they do is send an email and book a space.. c
Great, thank you! 🙂 x
So much going on and you give us crepes and crackling corn too – thank you!
Lovely post Celi .. Amazing little video
There’s no danger of you getting fat with all the hard work you do 😉
Today, I made half of this recipe and yielded 13 good size crêpes. I did 1/4 cup soda and 1/4 cup milk (because my dear Mom always made her crêpes with soda water). Mine were not as beautiful as yours because the egg yolks were not as yellow (even though they were organic and free range).