Brittany's robust cuisine
The cuisine of Brittany is full-flavored, bringing the outdoors and the sea into the kitchen. It is a fresh mix of mackerel and sardines, pork rillettes and Breton pancakes.Cider and crêpes add a dash of sweetness.If you are fond of the sea, Brittany offers the gourmet delights of extraordinary freshness according to the whim of the seasons. From Rennes, the region's capital, comes the cuckoo, a poultry delicacy, "Little Grey," the famous snail in a bath of garlic butter and parsley, and, of course, the buckwheat galettes. In Cancale, there are the famous oysters (flat or hollow), depending on the season or the tide. There are also legendary madeleines full of the lemony taste of childhood. And there is always the seafood, shellfish, fish soup, dishes covered in "Armorican" sauce, sausages, smoked ham, wheat crêpes, the Far Breton, pound cake, butter cookies...
Regional specialties:
You can taste
- Shellfish, seafood and fish: Clams, Breton lobster, mariner's mussels, skate in brown butter, pie;
- Meat: Kig ha-farz (a dish of meats stewed in buckwheat stuffing);
- Vegetables: Artichokes, cauliflower,
- Crêpes and galettes: Breton crêpes, Breton galettes, sausage galettes;
- Desserts: Far Breton (a flan-style custard cake), Breton cake, Kouign amann (a layered, buttery pastry), and pound cake.
Regional cheeses:
The cheeses you have to try are Emmental and raclette.
Wines and spirits:
There are different types of cider:
- The Cornwall AOC;
- Label Rouge "Royal Guillevic."
The area is famous for Breton beer, mead, cider, lambig, or fine de Bretagne (a white liqueur).
Recipe for crêpes with caramelized apples
Makes five large crêpes
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking Time: a few minutes for each crêpe
Ingredients:
For the batter
2 cups of milk
1-1/2 cups of flour
5/8 cup of granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 tblsp butter
a pinch of salt
For the filling:
5 red apples
5 tblsp butter
Cinnamon powder
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/4 cup of cider
1 half glass of Calvados liqueur
Preparation:
In a bowl, beat 3 eggs with flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, a little salt, and the flour. Gradually, stir in the milk, and then add a piece of softened butter for a pliable batter.
Let stand one hour.
Then cook the crêpes on a stove griddle, keeping the batter thinly spread and the griddle lightly buttered or oiled for each crêpe. Keep the crêpes warm.
For the filling:
- Peel and dice apples. With 2 tbsp of butter, brown the pieces in a pan.
- Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of sugar and then add the butter, calvados and cider.
- Garnish crêpes with the mixture and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.
- Pour syrup over each plate, then place the crepe on serving dish.