Candlemas (La Chandeleur), celebrated every year on February 2nd, has the tradition of eating crêpes. Their shape and colour evoke the sun, and therefore the end of winter. On the Côte d’Azur, this festival heralds the coming of Carnival.
You can enjoy the traditional crêpes with sugar, chocolate, jam or Nutella in all the cafés that prepare them for the occasion. But you can also taste original variations, special to the «French Riviera». Here are my favourites:
La Monégasque at Métropole Monte-Carlo:
Specially created to pay tribute to the Principality, this composition by Patrick Mesiano, one of the virtuosos of sweets on the Côte d’Azur, features a raspberry confit and a light vanilla chantilly cream, all accompanied by a raspberry coulis. White and red, evoking the colours of the Monegasque flag. Prepared in front of you, elegant and delicious! 17, Avenue des Spélugues, Monaco.
The VIP Chandeleur by Lilian Bonnefoi:
Lilian Bonnefoi, celebrated pastry chef of the Hotel Cap-Eden-Roc, has concocted here a dessert that is a true delight: this crêpe cake accented with a citrus confit and rum for Candlemas. You may also choose the VIP raspberry or the VIP chocolate-hazelnut, the favourite of the youngest guests. An original creation for enjoying crêpes in the form of a chic cake. 2, Place du Safranier, Antibes.
The Crêpe Suzette at Café de Paris, Monte-Carlo:
On the Côte d’Azur, we like to believe the legend that the Crêpe Suzette was born at the Café de Paris. In the 19th century, the Prince of Wales, who was lunching at the Café de Paris with his companion Suzette, asked Chef Carpentier to prepare crêpes with liqueur for him; the pan accidentally caught fire, which delighted the Prince, who asked that this new recipe be named after his companion. Orange, butter, Grand Marnier and sugar… a delight to taste at the Café de Paris, absolutely! Place du Casino, Monaco.
« Chandeleur à ta porte, c’est la fin des feuilles mortes ». Proverb of my grandmother
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