What's a vaute?
It's a kind of pancake, very thick, a bit like a blini, but the size of a frying pan, so XXL. It's an ancient, rustic recipe, made with local variations in the countryside of Lorraine, Alsace, Champagne and the Ardennes. Grandmothers used to fry them in lard, mostly as a sweet dish. There's also a savory version, which is very similar to a floured omelet. It 's a delightful recipe, and its name says it all: "vaûtes" comes from the Latin "voltare", meaning to turn, just as the ladle does when pouring the dough that's about to cook...
The top... Image chosen by monsieurdefrance: Svetlana-ev via depositphotos.
How to make vautes ?
Ingredients:
- 200 grams flour (preferably T55)
- 300 ml milk
- 50 grams cornstarch
- 2 large eggs or 2 medium eggs and 1 yolk.
- 35 grams vanilla sugar (2 large tablespoons).
- 1/2 sachet yeast.
- A pinch of salt
- Oil for cooking
And a choice of :
- Fruit! Traditionally blueberries, mirabelles, cherries, apples, blackcurrants....
- A little alcohol: a tablespoon of rum or an alcohol corresponding to the chosen fruit: kirsch for cherries, mirabelle plum for mirabelles, calva for apples...
Or WITHOUT FRUIT. You could spread jam on them, for example, but to be honest, that's not as nice. You'll need to think about freezing some fruit in the summer. Fruit in syrup also works if you drain it well.
A beautiful vaute. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com jianghongyan via depositphotos.
The process:
1
Wash your fruit, remove the stalks and pits (and cut up the pieces if they are large fruits such as apples).
2
Mix the flour and cornflour in a large bowl, adding a pinch of salt. Sift beforehand to avoid lumps.
3
Add the milk, whisking regularly to prevent lumps. Take it easy - you don't need too much, the mixture should be able to coat the fruit afterwards.
4
Break in your eggs and whisk a little longer. The dough should be smooth and liquid, but not too much.
5
Add the fruit and the spoonful of alcohol and stir.
6
Leave to stand for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
Cook the vautes
1
Take a non-adhesive frying pan and pour a spoonful of oil into it.
2
When the oil is hot, pour in your ladleful of batter , starting from the outside in. It should be thick (1 centimeter).
3
Cook over medium heat and turn the vaute over with a spatula to brown the other side.
Optional:
You can also put them in the oven for a short time after baking them in the pan, at 75°C with the door open, for no more than 5 minutes. They'll crisp up a little.
You can also spread jam on them , or dust them with powdered sugar.
Ah, one more thing! They're better warm.
