Celebrating French Chandeleur with Crêpes Photo and Video Essay by Ruth Paget

Celebrating French Chandeleur with Crêpes Photo and Video Essay by Ruth Paget 

When I lived in France, I learned that all French people seem to observe the Catholic holiday of Chandeleur whether or not they are practicing Catholics or not. 

Chandeleur occurs 40 days after Christmas on February 2nd and celebrates the presentation in the temple of Jesus Christ by his parents Mary and Joseph. The temple referred to is not pagan, but a Jewish synagogue. Jesus was born a Jew to Jewish parents. 

Chandeleur marks the beginning of Christ’s life in society and prepares believers for the celebration of Christian Easter in spring. 

The French celebrate Chandeleur with a pile of crêpes that can last several days if wrapped in plastic and kept in the refrigerator. I love the nutrition in crêpes at an economical price. 

The crêpe recipe my family developed for California uses milk, eggs, flour, water, fleur de sel sea salt from Guérande (Brittany, France), and California olive oil. The recipe follows: 

Paget Family California Crêpes Recipe

When your crêpe batter is made, it should be liquid with no lumps. Heat your crêpe pans with olive oil on high. Pour two ladles of crêpe batter into a hot pan and swirl the batter around till it coats the pan with the batter. 

The batter will begin to set so that you can move the crêpre back and forth gently like in the videos below. Carefully flip the crêpe over. You are working with extremely hot oil so you might want to use spatulas and mitts to turn over the crêpe. 

The flipped crêpe has a golden brown color and dry texture. Let the other side cook for 1 to 2 minutes before placing it on a serving plate. 

The French drink hard cider (alcoholic cider) with crêpes. If you prefer sweet cider try Martinelli’s. It pops open like champagne, but has no alcohol. We drink Henry Hot Spurs Cider from Trader Joe’s. 

According to webMD.com, hard cider retains vitamins like Vitamin C and antioxidants in its production. Apple cider is also considered to be a laxative by WebMD.com . 

The typical French additions to crêpes are butter and grated gruyère cheese. Spreadable Laughing Cow is also liked but not traditional in crêpes. 

Dessert crêpes are usually made with jam. Both kinds of crêpes are rolled up and can be heated in a mircrowave. 

The following photos and videos illustrate the process of preparing a French Chandeleur celebration at home with crêpes, cider, and fillings for this February 2nd holiday.

No-lump batter is necessary.

Fleur de sel is a fine grain sea salt that 
reduces lumps in the batter

American, Swedish, and Crocheted French Kitchen Towel by Laurent's grandmother

The flipped crêpe has a golden cooked sid.

Henry Hot Spurs Hard Cider is similar to apple cider
from Brittany, France

Typical crêpe fillings for a home celebration of Chandeleur.

So easy to eat, but time consuming to prepare.

A little butter and cheese for filling before rolling up the crêpe.

Time to eat!

Bonne Fête de la Chandeleur!!

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and Novgorod War Game Developer

Family Fondue Night for a Sustainable, Nutritious Winter Meal by Ruth Paget

Family Fondue Night for a Sustainable, Nutritious Winter Meal by Ruth Paget 

One of our family’s go-to winter meals in Salinas, California is Swiss fondue with cubes of day-old artisanal baguette bread to dunk. We purchase both of these protein-, calcium-, and energy-rich items at Nob Hill in Salinas. 

My husband Laurent cuts half a loaf of baguette per person into cubes for the fondue. He says chopping the baguette into cubes takes about 5 minutes per person to do. Each person gets a bowl of bread cubes to dunk by their plate. 

Once the bread is done, Laurent puts the fondue pot on the stove along with the contents of two Emmi Swiss Knight fondue packages and ½ to 1/3 bottle of Chardonnay wine. (We use Kirkland brand Chardonnay from Costco which tastes like a Kendall Jackson chardonnay. We drink the remainder of the bottle with our meal.) 

You have to constantly stir the fondue cheese sauce and wine till they become smooth. This takes about 20 to 30 minutes. We like Emmi’s Swiss Knight Fondue for several reasons. First, they make the fondue with Swiss cheese and kirsch (Swiss cherry brandy). The packaging is secure and very neat to open. You can also store the fondue at room temperature till you are ready to open it, making it perfect for pantry storage. I think the packaging also discourages insects and rodents, because it is very sturdy. 

I doubly like Emmi, because they have a subsidiary in Stoughton, Wisconsin outside Madison. This location has an all new facility devoted to sustainable product production. Emmi’s headquarters which are in Lucerne, Switzerland set up the Wisconsin location to create sustainable sourcing, production, and distribution. I like buying a brand that promotes a sustainable supply chain. 

These are thoughts that come to you as you stir the fondue. The same is true of ruminations about the fondue set. My family uses a Swiss Cousances fondue set that my in-laws gave Laurent and me for Christmas when we were first married. We have saved money eating fondue throughout winter. If you like cheese, you might consider buying one. 

When Laurent and I came back from living in Germany, we gave our daughter Florence Paget a Cuisinart fondue set, since California is also the number one producer of dairy goods in the US. I told her she would always have dinner, if she eats fondue here. 

Once the fondue becomes liquid and bubbles with steam rising, it is time to move the fondue pot to the table. Fondue sets come with a stand with a hole in the center. This hold is for steno quick flame containers with flammable gel. You have to take off a secure lid and light these with a stove lighter before the fondue comes out. There is a cover with holes that you open to distribute flames underneath the fondue pot. 

Place the fondue pot on top of the stand and dunk your bread in the cheese with forks provided with the set. California is rich in Chardonnay, so you can find it at all price levels. 

The Swiss in Switzerland drink a wine called Fendant du Valais with fondue, which is sometimes listed on Swiss restaurants in the US. 

A salad with creamy dressing and chopped tarragon are a nice finish to a fondue supper. 

 

Fondue Bubbling on a Fondue Stand
We used two packages of Swiss Knight Fondue
You can see bread cubes in a bowl in back

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Anthropology Now - Oral Histories, Museums, Documentaries reposted by Ruth Paget

I thought this posting about the centennial of the anthropology department at the University of Chicago had interesting information about the role that oral history, museums, and documentaries play in the field now:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/new-course-explores-100-years-anthropology-uchicago?utm_medium=01.29email&utm_source=UChicagoNews

Posted by Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Museums Dealing with Extinctions book by UChicago Press posted by Ruth Paget

Ghosts Behind Glass by Dolly Jorgensen published by the University of Chicago Press deals with how museums preserve records of extinction in the natural world.

Eco-tourists might enjoy this work with more details below:

 https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19c09f4b7659470d

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Lunar New Year at UChicago as part of Year of Games reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago Year of Games Program invites the university community to come play Chinese mahjong and Korean Yunnan in observance of Lunar New Year on February 17, 2026.

Information about this event follows:

https://events.uchicago.edu/event/259113-lunar-new-year-game-celebration-at-the-library

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Plexus Polaire French Puppetry Company Reposted by Ruth Paget

French Puppetry Company Plexus Polaire to Perform at the Year of Games at the University of Chicago on January 28, 2026.

Information about tickets for this event follows:

https://events.uchicago.edu/event/258228-plexus-polaire-trust-me-for-a-while

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Flavorful Blue Cheese and Steak Salad on Flatbread at Ellis Diner in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Flavorful Blue Cheese and Steak Salad on Flatbread at Ellis Diner in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I tried a new salad at Ellis Diner that is a protein and calcium powerhouse with added vitamins from its salad ingredients. 

The Blue Cheese and Steak Salad on Flatbread hides a lot of protein, calcium, and iron that you need for thick hair, strong bones, and rosy cheeks. The online description of the steak says it is a short steak. But, the shape, flavor, and texture of the steak make me think it is a thin-cut New York Strip Steak. 

The blue cheese as a dairy product has both calcium and calcium. The steak has protein and iron. The bacon in the salad used as a flavoring also has protein. 

The hidden protein in the salad that makes it a protein and calcium powerhouse comes from the golden flatbread that everything sits on. This bread seems to be a calcium- and protein-rich yogurt flatbread. The interior of the bread is creamy white and tastes especially good with the sautéed onions, bacon, and creamy blue cheese in the salad. 

The salad itself is a mixture of blue cheese crumbles, chopped iceberg lettuce, diced bacon, chopped spinach, sweet grilled onions, cherry tomatoes, and pungent onion-flavored chives. 

The dressing comes from the blue cheese mixed with grilled onions. This makes the cheese warm and melting. 

The blue cheese and onions are then mixed with the other salad ingredients to coat them as a dressing. 

This highly seasoned salad with steak and blue cheese appears to be a modern Greek or Armenian diner dish (looks Middle Eastern, but breaks several religious dietary laws of Judaism and Islam).

I enjoyed the flavorful blue cheese and steak salad on flatbread at Ellis Diner in Salinas, California and think diners interested in maintaining or building muscle like athletes would enjoy this dish. 

Blue Cheese and Steak Salad on Flatbread
at Ellis Diner in Salinas, California
Photo by Ruth Paget

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France