Galettes Bretonnes

  This will come as no surprise when I say, different regions specialize in different foods. That's a no-brainer. I know personally I don't go to the south expecting the best clam chowder around nor do I go out to California and expect to find the the most delicious jambalaya there is. Sure, there are spots where you can find good variations or interpretations but most of the time, the authentic version just tastes better. With that regards, France is no different. And by luck, or not by luck depends if you are the 'packer' in the family, we have lived in pretty much every region there is in France, oh besides the east. And to be honest with you, I hear it is beautiful but cold so you can have that. So a nice little perk of being nomads, is we have been able to try out most of the regional specialties, and while we like most, we always seem to fall back on the 'Galettes Bretonnes' or salty crepes. From 2005-2007 we spent 2 seasons up in the Brittany region of France, which is the north-west of France. This particular area is known for its seafood (it's on the coast), butter cookies and salty crepes, hence the name Galettes Bretonnes. Oh, and it is also known for it's crappy weather but since moving to the south, I have completely forgotten how grey it is up there.  Ok, I'm off track again. Galettes Bretonnes or Crepes Salee are buckwheat crepes filled with....well, frankly you can put whatever your heart desires in them. Think of it as a burrito in which the fillings are limitless. Witnessing our love of these crepes first hand, our lovely friends and teammates The Struncs offered us a Krampouz (an electric crepe maker) when the season came to a close. I like to think of it as an offering for us being these totally awesome people that they couldn't live without. More probable, it was an early wedding gift that was only a few months away. Hmmm, whatever. While we keep in touch with The Struncs, I am sure they wonder at times if we still use the Krampouz. Well let me tell you Nico and Marlene, we use the crap out of that thing. Not only do we make crepes, but we use it as a skillet, quesadilla maker, sandwich press, you name it, we do it. It is funny though, we only use it to make the crepes salee and never once have we made crepes sucre. Must be the Bretonne left over in us. While there are places that offer these types of crepes here in the south, at $7 a pop for one with minimal fillings, I would rather make them at home and be creative. Oh, did I also mention the fact that Shaun eats at least 4....you do the math. And it is the type of food that you can replicate. It tastes just as good as if you were sitting in a Bretagne bistro in a sweater with the heater on while it lightly mists outside for the 10th day in a row...in June. So Nico and Marl, thanks a bunch for the Krampouz, we have put many miles on it and it has made the list of things we can't live without.

The Krampouz

Utensils

Batter...I don't make my own, I buy the boxed mix where all you have to do is add water. I know, sacrilegious.

Filling..we used potatoes, ham, creme fraiche and cheese.

It took me years to figure out how to do it with out ripping the crepe, I am now a master.

Round 1 out of 4 completed...good thing we are active with the way we eat.