Delicious Crepes and Coffee - A Taste of France at Muscat Festival 2014

It was on my second visit to the Muscat Festival 2014 earlier this week that I first heard it. It sounded like the lyrics of a beautiful French love song, but my questioning mind asked, 'How was that possible"? But I followed the sound as I came out of the International Pavilion at Al Amerat and saw what looked like a 'Taste of France'  here in Muscat. It was a real little outdoor cafeteria with delicious aromas of coffee and crepes mingled with each other and it wasn't very long before I walked in.

 And was hooked!

A taste of France in Muscat

A crepe  is a type of very thin pancake usually made from wheat flour (crêpes de Froment) or buckwheat flour (galettes) The word is of French origin, deriving from the Latin crispa, meaning "curled". Crêpes are served with a variety of fillings, from the most simple with only sugar to to the more elaborate savoury galettes.

Another very interesting French and Belgian crêpe is the 'Crepe Suzette'  a crêpe with lightly grated orange peel and liquer, which is usually lit on presentation.

I was lucky to get a personalized demo by 32 year old Caquinean Thomas,who has specially come in from France along with a few other members of his team and clearly loves what he does! 

He first showed me how the batter was made. Using a regular brand of all purpose flour, and about half that quantity of regular sugar, he made a well in the centre and added 6 eggs to the mixture, stirring briskly all along.When he had the required consistency, he poured that thin liquid batter  onto a hot frying pan or flat circular hot plate, often with a trace of butter on the pan's surface. The batter was spread evenly over the cooking surface of the pan by distributing the batter with his spatula. 

Making the batter

Caquinean informed me that common savoury fillings for crêpes served for lunch  or dinner  are cheese, ham, and eggs, ratatoille, mushrooms, artichokes or even meat products. The fillings are commonly added to the center of the crêpe and served with the edges partially folded over the center.When sweet, they can be eaten as part of breakfast,  or even as a dessert. They can be filled and topped with various sweet toppings, often including 'Nutella',  jams and preserves topped with sugar (granulated or powdered), maple syrup, honey  lemon juice, whipped cream, fruit spreads, custard, and sliced soft fruits.

Taking a closer look, I saw that he had primarily sweet fillings so when asked what kind of a filling would I like, I opted for blueberry jam.

Walking towards my simple yet stylish wooden table with beautiful French music playing in the background, I could well imagine that I was back in France. Sipping my aromatic black coffee , closing my eyes for a brief moment and taking the first bite of that delicious, not too sweet, blueberry jam crepe,  I thought, yes, I really and truly could.....

Gougeres, irresistible little cheese puffs in 20 minutes

Gougeres, the French version of the most irresistible little cheese puffs!

Then there are the days when you want some bite sized savoury delights to accompany a drink. Of course, you can run to the nearest store and pick up a pack of ready made ones. Or you can try out something new and interesting. Which is just what I did.

Gougeres are the French version of little cheese puffs, usually served as an appetizer with wine or cocktails. They are really easy as well as quick to make. I tried them out last evening and was quite pleased with the way they turned out, fist time around.

 Method-All you need to do is to whip up an egg and cheese batter, pipe it onto a baking sheet, and bake the gougeres until they are puffed and golden. 

I timed it for 20 minutes and my oven was pre heated to 120 degrees C.Sure enough, 20 mins later, they were done.

These  little pastries fill the kitchen with a fantastic aroma and are best eaten straight out of the oven. Try keeping them any longer and even the strongest resolve will break down- sooner rather than later!