Crepes

A stack of crepes based on the Julia Child recipe (I substituted some whole wheat flour in the pancake batter). My fillings
were based on the offering of our favorite Paris crêperie. My counter was crowded with all the ready foods.

Bilbo Baggins, the original Hobbit in Tolkien's first book, "liked visitors, but he liked to know them before they arrived, and he preferred to ask them himself. He had a horrible thought that the cakes might run short, and then he -- as the host: he knew his duty and stuck to it however painful -- he might have to go without."

When first one, then another, a third... and finally thirteen dwarves plus Gandalf the Wizard appeared at Bilbo's underground hobbit house for breakfast one fine morning, he managed to serve them all. They demanded beer, ale, tea, seed cakes, wine, raspberry jam, apple tart, mince pies with cheese, pork pie with salad, cold chicken with pickles, and on and on until they consumed everything in Bilbo's larder. I think this scene at the beginning of The Hobbit is one of the most unforgettable meals in all literature ... I bet  you remember it too.

This morning I passed the Bilbo Baggins test when my invited guests turned out to have invited a friend of theirs to join them at my house for brunch. In fact, I had asked if they wanted me to invite more friends, but they did the inviting themselves. I was surprised, but not as confused as Bilbo.

In fact, I was perfectly happy and able to make enough filled crepes for us all. Fortunately I had prepared a big stack of them. My savory fillings included smoked salmon, sour cream, spinach, and cheese. Sweet fillings were apricot preserves and chocolate chips. I had garnishes: tomatoes and fruits. All based on my favorite crepe restaurant in Paris!

Unlike Gandalf's friends the dwarves, our unexpected guest brought us some strawberries and chocolate raisins, which complimented my selection. Also unlike the dwarves, our guests didn't all decide to stay to supper. And they didn't volunteer to help while singing:

"Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates --
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!"

We really enjoyed the meal and the company! And I think Bilbo would have approved.

To finish the crepes I took each one from the stack, placed it on the hot griddle, and spread it with the filling.
The sour cream with salmon was delicious. The chocolate chips and apricot preserves melted deliciously into the crepe.

My Model: La Crêperie de  Josselin, Paris

Breton Crepes as we had them in Paris, November 2018.

Google photo of the interior of the crêperie in Paris.

Blog post copyright © 2020 mae sander for mae food dot blogspot dot com.