tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post1813605217968722041..comments2024-03-28T10:37:58.651+01:00Comments on Living the life in Saint-Aignan: Candles, crêpes, and corn mealKen Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-66787202498938729152022-12-10T23:19:24.919+01:002022-12-10T23:19:24.919+01:00What a fascinating entry! I am French and Paris ba...What a fascinating entry! I am French and Paris based but spent a few years working in the USA and mostly use American websites to learn to cook. I love exploring the differences between ingredients in France and the USA. On a related topic, the cuts of beef are so different, I never imagined butchery would be so different from one country to another.Assyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-55291388651444687972012-05-31T16:44:13.880+02:002012-05-31T16:44:13.880+02:00Pamela, the crepe recipe is in this post from 02 F...Pamela, the crepe recipe is in <a href="http://ckenb.blogspot.fr/2009/02/cest-la-chandeleur.html" rel="nofollow">this post</a> from 02 February 2009. The only difference is that you use equal quantities of wheat flour and corn meal in the recipe instead of the equivalent quantity of just wheat flour. Hope you enjoy it. KenKen Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-11948696730849688892012-05-31T11:29:38.325+02:002012-05-31T11:29:38.325+02:00Lots of info, but I came looking for the recipe of...Lots of info, but I came looking for the recipe of the crepe.... care to post? I have corn flour and would like to make the crepes this weekend... now I know a whole lot about corn....hahaPamela Q Fernandeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04280244804316274619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-73486030993595798962011-02-04T01:37:59.305+01:002011-02-04T01:37:59.305+01:00Castor sugar is superfine sugar in the US. It'...Castor sugar is superfine sugar in the US. It's granulated sugar, but a finer grind. Often used in confections like meringues where its ability to dissolve faster is useful. <br /><br />Confectioner's sugar is powdered sugar. The supermarket variety has corn starch added to keep it from clumping. Real powdered sugar (without corn starch) is very hard to find for home use.Tom Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12731925149430274729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-39861928979231295522011-02-04T00:45:02.792+01:002011-02-04T00:45:02.792+01:00In the US, corn flour, corn meal, corn starch, and...In the US, corn flour, corn meal, corn starch, and masa harina are all different things.<br /><br />Corn meal is coarsely ground whole corn.<br /><br />Corn flour is finely ground whole corn.<br /><br />Corn starch is made from the endosperm of the corn kernel.<br /><br />Masa harina is flour ground from corn that's been treated with lime or lye.Tom Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12731925149430274729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-84860066668373742332011-02-03T15:29:15.385+01:002011-02-03T15:29:15.385+01:00Just to confuse the issue, another option is Staff...Just to confuse the issue, another option is Staffordshire oatcakes, which are crepe-style, but made with oatmeal (=(I think) ground oat bran - you need it fairly fine for this), flour and water (no egg to bind, which is a bit counter-intuitive). Or Breton buckwheat crepes, which is a whole nother thing....Autolycushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17642868944400656922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-44488406121245479652011-02-03T11:19:07.128+01:002011-02-03T11:19:07.128+01:00Ken - brilliant post and fascinating stuff. I alw...Ken - brilliant post and fascinating stuff. I always thought you meant cornflour when you said cornmeal. I have some polenta but I think that's too coarse for your recipe and I don't know if you can get fine polenta=proper corn meal here.<br /><br />I feel a trip to a more cosmopolitan supermarket than our local coming on ..... Waitrose here we come !!Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726164724131916224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-9230723060476281742011-02-03T09:45:52.902+01:002011-02-03T09:45:52.902+01:00Sorry Judy :-) but I knew my comment was going to ...Sorry Judy :-) but I knew my comment was going to be quite long and I knew someone else would give you chapter and verse.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-89332987772556808952011-02-03T02:23:29.414+01:002011-02-03T02:23:29.414+01:00Thank you for all this detail! I've been learn...Thank you for all this detail! I've been learning to use polenta, or corn meal, or whatever other name, and knowing more about what it is and isn't in different cultures is fascinating.Emmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-26423838106872109782011-02-03T00:07:19.892+01:002011-02-03T00:07:19.892+01:00I popped in for a quick look and I've been her...I popped in for a quick look and I've been here for half an hour! :)<br /><br />Thanks for the post and for all the comments, very educational. <br /><br />Ken, is that the bag of cornmeal that I brought you or are you now able to buy it in France?<br /><br />BettyAnnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-19053522381226878022011-02-02T23:54:29.039+01:002011-02-02T23:54:29.039+01:00The idea behind flipping the crepe while holding a...The idea behind flipping the crepe while holding a coin [preferably gold, but a regular coin will do] is, if you don't mess with the crepe in the process, you'll have money all year round. That is until next Groundhog's day. A la Chandeleur, l'hiver finit ou reprend rigueur.<br /><br />The flipping has to be done with the pan itself and not with your fingers or some sort of spatula! It is somewhat tricky, but with some practice it works out.<br /><br />I would not miss my crepes on "Chandeleur day" for an empire. You see, I'm not superstitious because it brings bad luck.<br /><br />Right now, the batter is resting in the refrigerator and I will enjoy crepes for my diner. Can't wait. I just sprinkle on them a little [a lot in fact] sucre en poudre which is the granulated sugar that I buy here in the US and roll them. Sucre cristalisé would be a little coarser. Sucre glace is like cornstarch.chmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-50063574503629387652011-02-02T23:17:37.779+01:002011-02-02T23:17:37.779+01:00Definitely head spinning stuff Ken...and we all th...Definitely head spinning stuff Ken...and we all think we speak English!<br />Kristi, I'm pretty sure that the nursery rhyme pease pudding hot....etc refers to porridge made with dried split peas, like you would use for pea and ham soup. Lost in the mists of time huh 9 days old yuck!<br />Ken, now I sort of know what grits are. Could you explain a bit more please, because I thought they were something green like the tops of a vegetable.<br />Sorry to go anon, but I can never remember Leon's passwords.<br />SueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-88330025473382690752011-02-02T22:41:55.296+01:002011-02-02T22:41:55.296+01:00Genie, tell us more about flipping crepes and hold...Genie, tell us more about flipping crepes and holding a coin- is that a little like putting a tuppence in one's shoe for good luck before a marriage?<br /><br />Those nutella/banana crepes are definitely in my future!Evelynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-24529963039075652232011-02-02T20:32:46.466+01:002011-02-02T20:32:46.466+01:00... "some" crepes, that is... "some" crepes, that isCherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15170098781777190491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-56423084409473414842011-02-02T20:31:59.037+01:002011-02-02T20:31:59.037+01:00Great post, Ken. And great comments from the read...Great post, Ken. And great comments from the readers. Gave me lots of "food for thought".<br /><br />VW: monsh, as in, I'm going to go monsh on come crepes. :)Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15170098781777190491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-4177224670488975252011-02-02T18:35:40.302+01:002011-02-02T18:35:40.302+01:00Thanks, Syd! That clears that up for me! I'll ...Thanks, Syd! That clears that up for me! I'll have to make a slight change to the vocab list for that class unit for next year ;)<br /><br />Judy<br /><br />Genie, I just learned about the Candlemas tradition with the coin last year :)Seine Judeet (Judith)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07407353544376132484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-78138915143653674322011-02-02T18:09:17.159+01:002011-02-02T18:09:17.159+01:00Most people I know (southern USA) do not know abou...Most people I know (southern USA) do not know about Candlemas (La Chandeleur)... I made crêpes yesterday, flipping the crêpe with my left hand while holding a coin (0,20€) in my right... We enjoyed them filled with bananna and Nutella with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side (miam-miam)<br /><br />Do you know about the "coin" and did I do it right?<br /><br />Bisous,<br />GenieGenie -- Paris and Beyondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12758801373365481655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-3335381734730946042011-02-02T17:56:00.021+01:002011-02-02T17:56:00.021+01:00Thanks, Susan. I guess some things don't trans...Thanks, Susan. I guess some things don't translate at all!<br /><br />@Judeet: Powdered or confectioner's sugar is glace, sucre en poudre is similar to caster sugar, which in the States is usually called superfine (but is not powdered, it's just small crystals).<br /><br />I use sucre en poudre for most sugar things, because the crystals in the other sugar (crystal) are too large for my tastes.Sydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02239734954908943760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-17826134855700313602011-02-02T17:30:03.496+01:002011-02-02T17:30:03.496+01:00Susan, thanks for the NO :) However, can anyone gi...Susan, thanks for the NO :) However, can anyone give me further sugar-words clarification? Because in the U.S. <i>powdered sugar</i> is the same thing as <i>confectioners sugar</i>, and my dictionary (wordreference.com) translates <i>sucre en poudre</i> as <i>powdered sugar</i> and <i>sucre glace</i> as <i>confectioners sugar</i>. So, what, then, is the difference?<br /><br />I'm imagining that castor sugar is granulated, but is just more finely ground? I know that we have a sugar in the U.S. that is called, I think, <i>Superfine sugar</i>, so I get that one :) But, again, <i>sucre semoule</i> is translated as both <i>granulated</i> and <i>castor</i>.<br /><br /><br />JudySeine Judeet (Judith)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07407353544376132484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-58822030709364207682011-02-02T17:18:14.823+01:002011-02-02T17:18:14.823+01:00By the time I got to the last paragraph I had forg...By the time I got to the last paragraph I had forgotten that we had started out reading about crepes. Very informative though.<br /><br />I second Susan's request regarding sugar. It would help when trying to translate some of Mathiot's recipes.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08385053628579030329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-36626175532160646282011-02-02T16:17:25.108+01:002011-02-02T16:17:25.108+01:00You've set heads spinning on two continents at...You've set heads spinning on two continents at least today! <br />First I thought of the lyrics of Au Clair de la lune, the line about "ma chandelle est morte". Then it skipped to Hungarian palacsinta (crepes) which can have sweet or savory fillings. Hortobagyi palacsinta is the best...Then various past confusions about "meal" and also masa harina danced about and befuddled me! Not to speak of cornflour. I had that problem about cornflour and corn starch when I lived in Hungary because -especially during communist times - the few brands I ever found were English. (But it wasn't as bad as trying to figure out how to explain cream of tartar to Hungarians.) And let's not forget "Pease porrige hot, pease porrige cold, pease porrige in the pot nine days old." I'm not sure if the word "porrige" (potage)came into English via the Scots who have a number of words from French because of "the Auld Allaince", like calling a leg of lamb "gigot", but this is just speculation on my part, brought about by my currently spinning mind. <br /><br />In Ohio, at least northeast Ohio, if you just say "meal" no one will think of corn.And how about that Cream of Wheat sold under the name of Farina? Germans call it Griess and Hungarians call it dara. They both use it to make dumplings and Hungarians also fry and then steam it to make a starchy part of a dinner. (I just can't say "of a meal" at this point!) Oh, Ken, your blogs posts give me too much to think about!Thickethouse.wordpresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17187303460677067276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-62361930999510784372011-02-02T16:09:53.562+01:002011-02-02T16:09:53.562+01:00I can tell you that the pronunciation of "mea...I can tell you that the pronunciation of "meal" and "mill" is often the same in Alabama. <br /><br />We also like our cornbread made from white corn with no sugar added.<br /><br />I saw many oat fields in Scotland and had many tasty foods fortified with oats- oats are added to so many foods, haggis included, at least I think so.<br /><br />VF: "moofueni" all this talk must have made the cows hungry;)Evelynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-91050419720728893092011-02-02T16:08:56.178+01:002011-02-02T16:08:56.178+01:00I am surprised that you found masa in France - it ...I am surprised that you found masa in France - it is so very traditional Mexican cuisine. I'm sure your tortillas will be good - will you use lard to make them? <br /><br />Also, I didn't know there was potato starch as a thickener, but I'm not much of a cook...Diogenesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-70926089149135897122011-02-02T16:05:11.655+01:002011-02-02T16:05:11.655+01:00PS. For me, the difference between flour and meal ...PS. For me, the difference between flour and meal is that flour is fine and meal is coarse.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-74212326139483779322011-02-02T16:02:06.158+01:002011-02-02T16:02:06.158+01:00Judy - the answer to all your questions is no.
Ke...Judy - the answer to all your questions is no.<br /><br />Ken - I made your cornpone the other day - at least, I used your mother's recipe as a jumping off point. I used a third polenta (quite fine), a third yellow cornflour (farine de maïs jaune, from 'alléchant', very fine and what you would call cornstarch)and a third locally milled organic wheat flour. For liquid I used a mixture of milk that had gone sour, yoghurt and whey from some faisselle. I also halved the sugar. It was really good.<br /><br />I agree with Carolyn - a treatise on buckwheat (sarrazin) now please :-))<br /><br />Syd - pulse doesn't sound right to me. A pulse is a pea or bean, like lentils or chickpeas, and has nothing to do with milling.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com