French feast
An ultimate French comfort food has swiftly made its way into the cafes and bakeries in the city. Humble thin pancake, filled with delectable concoctions, crêpes can be now found in Delhi in various flavours, twisted to suit the Indian tastebuds. In fact at some places, you can even watch your crêpe being made right in front of you.
To begin with, Oye Crepes is one place where you won’t just find world-class sweet and savory crêpes, but also French style ones with an Indian spin. A manager from Oye Crepes tells us, “Although our most popular one is the nuttie delight, which is a sweet crêpe smeared with nutella and topped with crushed nuts and chocolate sauce, there are many other options in the desi category which are meant to suit the Indian palate. Some of these are masala crêpes (crisp dosa stuffed with tasty potato and onion masala topped with chutney and butter), Oriental crêpe, which is a crisp dosa stuffed with chowmein, topped with Asian sauce and scallions and tomato masala crêpe to name a few.”
While the common ingredients include flour, eggs, milk, butter, and a pinch of salt, what’s interesting is that you can add your own favourites to the batter.
Among the first ones to start the trends of crêpes in the city, at Mrs Kaur’s, the wheat flour crêpes are underlined with signature decadence, i.e. cheese, melted Belgian chocolate or butterscotch. “We also use couverture chocolates in our crêpes. Also, we have a specialty where we stuff caramelised banana in the crêpe which is quite a hit,” says Surender Rawat from Mrs Kaur’s.
Interestingly, if you look closely, you won’t find crêpes in the main menu at many places, however, this French delight has definitely made its way on the dessert list. And the most unique and traditional forms of crêpes are not easily available. “This item is supposed to be made fresh and takes time, so you won’t find it in the main menu. Usually simpler forms of crêpes are available at most places with fruits and chocolate sauces or a savory sauce but the flambéed crepe suzette is an authentic crepe dessert. It’s very European and the key ingredients of prunes and dried apricots are very expensive, used only in the truly authentic way of making crêpes. So this is an item you will most likely not find in many places but is very authentic yet unique recipe in the variety of crêpes to eat and enjoy,” says Suraj Bir Singh, master chef Bakery, Under One Roof Hotel Consultants.
Having said that, if you’re trying to try this delicacy at home, Monica Nathani, who works with an MNC suggests, “Don’t forget to put a layer of aluminum foil under your crepemaker for quick clean up and strain any lumps out of the batter before attempting to make crêpes. I used to think that straining isn’t required but the lumps can later tear the crêpes apart.”
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