pancake

These succulent Swiss Chard Pancakes are known in French as “Farçous”. They hail from Aveyron, a lesser-known region in Occitanie, in South-Central France. Sparsely populated and left mostly unspoiled with wild pastures and picturesque hamlets, Aveyron is often refered to as “La France Profonde” (the deep France). But its cuisine is anything but ho-hum, with many local specialties being staples all throughout Southern France, including the world-famous Pommes Aligot, Gâteau à la Broche and these little Farçous.    

We’re one week away from Easter weekend and I know a lot of us are getting excited about brunch! In France, Easter brunch habitually involves a freshly-baked brioche on the table, like a buttery Fallue in Normandie or the anise-flavoured Caccavellu in Corsica. But this year, I wanted to bring back a yesteryear recipe known in French as a “Pascade”. This wonderful French-style Dutch Baby Pancake (which in France falls under the “crepes” category) is generously puffy and versatile, and ideal as a last-minute brunch idea.