Candlemas: vegan pancakes on the menu

Guilty!

At least from the sin of gluttony. We must admit it since on the occasion of the epiphany, we already shared with you our recipe for the vegan frangipane king cake .

We promise, we don't intend to abandon shoes to start selling vegan pastries; but today, we're setting the table again for Candlemas with our recipe for homemade vegan pancakes.

Yes, pancakes without eggs are possible, my good sir!

But before revealing the recipe, let’s take a little quiz.

Do you know why every year, on February 2, on the occasion of the traditional Candlemas, we eat pancakes?

Respond to : To ward off fate and reduce the chances of having a catastrophic wheat harvest.

Answer B: To honor the character Chandler from the seriesFriends , who celebrates his birthday every year by feasting on pancakes.

Answer C: To remember the famous Breton “song of the hour”, chanted by the warriors when they left for the front after having had their fill of a big meal of pancakes.

Drum roll, the suspense is at its height.

Although we love Chandler's jokes and we are not a little proud of our false Breton legend, the correct answer here is A!

Come on, let's tell you.

Before being an opportunity to bring together young and old gourmands around a festive table, Candlemas was a Roman festival in honor of the god Pan, then taken up by the church which established processions, during which people paraded in holding small candles, from which the festival takes its name.

But what does this have to do with pancakes you ask yourself?

“If you don’t want sooty wheat, eat pancakes on Candlemas.”

With time, the tradition evolved, and the belief was born that pancakes had to be made on Candlemas Day, otherwise the year's wheat harvest would be bad.

A pancake was then flipped with the right hand while holding a gold coin in the left hand, then the gold coin was placed in the pancake, and carried in procession to a room in the house where it was then kept a year.

The following year, the coin remaining in the hardened crepe was recovered, then offered to a poor person, with the hope that the offering would protect the donating family from poverty throughout the coming year.

If today we only keep the story of these past rites, the generous culinary tradition of pancakes still remains.

Enough story, let's put on our aprons, our pair of COG favorite cuisine, and our salad bowls!

Ingredients :

For 20 vegan pancakes :

• 500 g of T45 flour

• 160 g cornstarch

• 500 ml of cold water

• 1 liter of soy or vegetable milk of your choice

• 4 tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil

• 2 teaspoons of sugar

• ½ teaspoon of salt

• ⅓ teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)

Tip :

To flavor and lighten the texture of your pancakes, it is possible to replace 25 cl of vegetable milk with a 25 cl white beer.

Preparation :

1. Start by diluting the cornstarch in water, then mix well.

2. Add flour, oil, salt, sugar, and also cinnamon to the preparation for dessert pancakes.

3. Gradually pour in the vegetable milk, whisking generously.

4. Once the preparation is homogenous, it can be filtered using a tea strainer to avoid any lumps.

5. Let the pancake batter rest under a cloth for 1 hour and 20 minutes before cooking.

6. Once your pan or crepe maker is hot, oil it generously using a soaked cloth, then pour and spread a layer of batter evenly on the cooking surface.

7. Cook for approximately 1 minute 30 minutes over medium heat.

8. Flip the pancake by frying it to test your dexterity, or flip it using a wooden spatula as a proof of wisdom.

9. Cook for 20 to 30 seconds to finish cooking.

10. Repeat this action until the dough is used up.

Tasting:

Who says pancakes, says toppings. It's time to let your tastes and affinities speak since here, everything is allowed.

TEAM SALTY

For vegan pancakes, a recipe of plant origin, we recommend a preparation of onions, shallots, mushrooms caramelized in the pan, accompanied by a green salad and a fresh vegetable fauxmage from Les Nouveaux Affineurs . Or why not some seitan béchamel pancakes - or smoked tofu.

Hundreds of other options to delight your taste buds and impress your guests await you on the Vegan Free Style website . Delicious plant-based recipes are offered. We are fans!

SWEET TEAM

Sweet, it works, but again you have to choose between jam crepes, maple syrup crepes, chocolate hazelnut crepes or even vegan whipped cream crepes ?

This is the opportunity to test the range (you said gourmet, so we're not going with the back of the spoon) of spreads from Go Nuts . You will of course find the classic organic chocolate/hazelnut there , but also a whole assortment of delicious peanut butters. A delight.

For a fruity note, think of chopped fruits (red fruits/maple syrup or pear/chocolate, yum) and the timeless jam. To discover, those of Maison Francis Miot , and to praise the products of our beloved Lyon region, also those of the Paysan collective from Terr'etic .

How can you conclude an article on Candlemas without mentioning the mother region of pancakes? We named Brittany!

The opportunity or never to try a vegan salted butter caramel recipe ! Simple to make and delicious, with or without the traditional bowl of cider - consume in moderation of course.

With all this, it's impossible to lack inspiration. The hardest part will be to avoid trying everything. Fortunately, there is no shortage of opportunities to eat pancakes.

That's it, all that remains is to take out the candles, invite your loved ones, and our ethical candlelight can begin.

Enjoy your food !

Also discover the other articles and interviews on our blog .