French food festival this Saturday

At this stage of his career, chef Paul Elbling undoubtedly can prepare a crepe with his eyes closed and a spatula tied behind his back.

On a recent evening at St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, though, his primary task wasn't to make crepes but to teach a small group of volunteers, including nuns, how to. A higher power was definitely at work: The crepes came out beautifully.

"They're learning," Elbling said with a smile.

The thin, pancake-like crepes will be available for tasting Saturday, at the first Little Sisters of the Poor French Food Festival. The event will feature French foods and desserts, and a French boutique with cookbooks, preserves and other merchandise. Children's activities will include a "Create-a-Crepe Corner."

All proceeds will benefit the Little Sisters' mission of helping the elderly poor.

"We're very excited to be able to share our French culture and our French roots," said Sister Eva Maria, director of nursing and one of the crepe-flipping volunteers. "A lot of people in Richmond don't know we exist, or they don't know what we do."

Little Sisters of the Poor, an international order founded in France when Jeanne Jugan opened her home to an elderly blind woman, have operated in Richmond since 1874. A dozen nuns, plus lay staff and volunteers, provide care for more than 100 residents at the St. Joseph's Home, at the corner of Three Chopt and Michaels roads.

A festival focused on food fits comfortably into the mission of the Little Sisters, whose sacred vows include the vow of hospitality.

"When [the elderly] come to our home, they're looking for the simple things in life," said Sister Eva Maria. "One of the concrete ways we show them they are loved is to give them a good meal. How better do you express love at home but by a good family meal together?"

"They do wonderful work," said Elbling, who, along with his wife, Marie-Antoinette, was the longtime proprietor of La Petite France.

The Elblings have raised an estimated $2 million over the years for the Little Sisters, primarily through black-tie dinners at their restaurant. When he was asked to help with the festival, Elbling, now retired, was all in.

"We've done some other crazy things," said Elbling, referring to, among other things, his involvement in making the world's largest omelet for the Guinness World Records. "It'll be fun," he said.

In an area known for its popular ethnic food festivals -- Greek, Lebanese and Indian, among others -- the French festival will fill a void. It also might remove the mystery about French food, which intimidates some home cooks.

"That's the problem; people shouldn't be [intimidated]," said Elbling. "They should try it once. If it doesn't work, try it a second time."

The keys to French cooking are not as complicated as you might think, Elbling said:

Use good ingredients and follow directions.

"That's it," he said.

Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or .

French food: tarte tatinMakes 8 servings.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry ¼-inch thick and about 11-inches square. Keep chilled. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and syrup becomes caramel in color. Remove pan from heat. Beginning at edge, arrange apples tightly in a spiral toward the center of the skillet. Return skillet to medium heat and cook until apples are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat and let stand to cool.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pastry over apples and tuck in around edges. Pierce pastry in three places with the tines of a fork. Place in preheated oven and bake until pastry is golden brown, about 30 minutes.Let stand 10 minutes to cool before serving.-- Chef Paul Elbling

French food: Creamed scallops and mushrooms
Makes 4 servings.

In a medium skillet pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add shallots and sauté until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add wine and water. Scrape skillet to deglaze. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 8 minutes. Add scallops, cover and simmer just until scallops are opaque, about 3 minutes longer. Remove scallops with a slotted spoon and set aside. Let liquid simmer until reduced to 2 cups. Strain and set aside.Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk in reserved liquid. When smooth, add cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer, whisking frequently, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add mushrooms and sauté for 4 minutes. Stir mushrooms into sauce, add reserved scallops and fresh lemon juice. Taste and, if necessary, adjust seasonings. -- chef Paul Elbling