People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.
02/03/2012
Moroccan semolina crèpes (Beghrir) 
Clay pot
Ingredients:
For approximately 20 6-inch beghrir:
14 oz. fine semolina
4 oz. unbleached white hard wheat flour (bread flour), sifted
1 t. salt
2 c. milk
3 c. water
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 oz. yeast dissolved in 3 T. water OR 1 c. fresh, bubbly levain (sourdough starter) made from 4 parts flour to 3 parts water*
1 egg, lightly beaten, if using a clay pan, for cleaning the pan (see below)
*Yeast-raised beghrir are slightly airier while those made with levain are better-tasting.
If using levai, begin the night before. For yeast, begin about 2 hours before cooking. Put the levain in a large, deep mixing bowl and add about half the liquid. Whisk together. Whisk in the combined semolina and flour until very smooth. Whisk in the remaining liquid, the eggs, the salt, and the dissolved yeast (only if you've opted for yeast; don't use if you have levain) until very well combined. Beat with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes (you can do all this in a mixer if you have one.) Strain the batter through a sieve for smoothness. Its consistency should be quite thin, similar to crepe batter. Cover with plastic film and leave at warm room temperature overnight if using levain or about 2 hours if using yeast. Either way, the batter should look frothy on the surface.
Heat a heavy, shallow clay pan or a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. For clay, you can use a poêlon, but I like to use the bottom of a large, cheap, glazed tagine dish. The one I use is at least half an inch thick. The following instructions are for using a clay pan. If you use a skillet, you'll have to adjust the heat according to how the beghrir cook as you go along. You also may have to grease the skillet with a bit of butter each time.
Dip a cloth or a folded paper towel in a bit of egg, and use it to swipe the inside of the clay pan. Wipe up any bits of cooked egg. Stir the battter, and pour about half to three-fourths of a large ladleful in the middle of the pan. Use the back of a rubber spatula to gently spread the batter into a slightly thinner layer if you like your beghrir thin or are in a hurry (the thinner the faster they cook). In my experience, the beghrir better, giving a lighter result, if you cover the clay pan with a lid or a plate. Lift the lid to check the progress about once every minute and a half, drying the inside of the lid as you do so. Myriads of tiny bubbles will begin to form on the surface of the beghrir, and its surface near the edges will begin to look dry (see photo above). This is good. Continue cooking just until the surface looks entirely dry and not a moment longer. Carefully lift the beghrir out of the pan and lay it on a plate or piece of foil (if you plan to reheat later; see below). The beghrir is a one-sided pancake; you never turn it as it cooks all the way through from the bottom up. Just out of the pan, the sourdough beghrir will have a wonderful and enticing fragrance.
Check beneath the beghrir as you progress to make sure it's not becoming too dark and adjust the heat accordingly. After you begin cooking in a clay pan, you will want to reduce the heat quite a bit (to medium low or even very low) as heat accumulates in the clay. Much as in cooking crepes, the first one usually doesn't turn out perfect.. Don't worry; the second one will be better and the third one perfect. Clean the pan with the egg trick between beghrir. As you work, you can stack them; they don't stick together. However, don't stack them more than 6 high as they may crack.
To serve, place the beghrir hot on a heated plate and pass the sweet butter and your finest honey. Heaven for breakfast and lovely for dessert, too.
Note: Beghrir freeze and reheat to perfection. Simply wrap a stack of them tightly in aluminum foil, slip into a ziploc bag, and then into the freezer. Let them thaw for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator before reheating them in a skillet over gentle heat with a bit of butter.
Attention sourdough fans: If, like me, you often lapse in your sourdough baking and then have to refresh your levain several times, you probably find yourself with quite a bit leftover, even after making bread and setting some aside in the refrigerator. Beghrir are the perfect way to use this fresh, leftover levain rather than just throwing it out.
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