I have never been to France, never eaten a true French crêpe or croissant, never walked over the “Japanese Bridge” painted in multiplicity by a man with a long beard in a white jacket and a straw hat.

In a way, that’s OK. I have done some of these things through Linnea in Monet’s Garden. The book, by Swedish writer Cristina Björk, was my magical introduction to France. I was six when I found it for $3.95 (the penciled in price is still there) at a used bookstore.

Linnea is a young girl who, with her upstairs neighbor, the elderly Mr. Bloom, would pack a picnic, take the train, and visit Giverny, the famous home of Claude Monet. The house is pink with green shutters, the kitchen is blue and white, the drawing room green, the dining room yellow. The gardens are spectacular.

The book is a scrapbook of Linnea’s day, illustrated with a combination of photographs, Monet’s paintings, and watercolors by Lena Anderson. Since reading it, I have wanted to go to Giverny and stand in Monet’s kitchen. If I win the lottery, my kitchen is going to look just like his, complete with two dozen copper pots. I’ve wanted to walk down the path of blooming nasturtiums that leads to the front door and stroll across the Japanese Bridge and admire the lily pads.

When I think about it now, though, I’m not sure I really want to go there. The reality of the place might ruin the perfect story about it that lives in my mind. So, instead, I’ll just add something tasty. After all, I set out to write about crêpes, how delicious they are, and how to make them gluten-free.

Have you ever gone around the dinner table with a group of friends and answered the question: if you could have dinner with any famous person, dead or alive, who would it be?

I have a ready answer: Claude Monet will serve me crêpes in his blue-and-white tiled kitchen at Giverny. There will be a nice breeze blowing in through the double doors. As we savor stacks of warm crêpes with blueberry compote, he’ll tell me about his extensive collection of Japanese woodblock prints, and about how he chose the plants for his Grande Allée, and maybe something about his obsession with haystacks.

The dream ends with a nice stroll through the gardens, where I sit on a bench and close my eyes, only to wake up, well … in Truro, of course. A perfect trip to France.

Maybe my French daydreams have come to mind because Monday, July 14, is Bastille Day — a celebration of the end of the monarchy’s power in France and the beginning of a revolution. I will not get into any of the political history of this holiday that we could pull into the present moment. That’s a different story. Choose your own revolution, I say. Any excuse to honor the French by making a nice crêpe breakfast (or dinner) is a good one.

Crêpes are delightfully thin, mild pancakes, quick to cook and a perfect base for all sorts of toppings and fillings, both savory and sweet. If you want to go savory, my favorite is garlicky sautéed mushrooms and spinach with a dollop of goat cheese.

My starting point for this recipe is one I found on Alanna Taylor-Tobin’s blog, Bojon Gourmet. I’ve made a few modifications to suit my taste. It’s both gluten- and dairy-free and will make about 12 good-size crêpes. If you don’t want to cook them all at once, the batter keeps in the fridge for up to three days.

The intimidating thing about crêpes is getting that perfect flatness. I have two suggestions. One is to do yourself a favor and invest in a crêpe pan. They’re not very expensive, and I use mine for all sorts of other things, too.

Second, work on your wrist strength. The easiest way to get an evenly flat crêpe is to pour the batter into the center of the pan and then tip the pan around in gentle circles to spread it out. You could use a tool called a pancake rake, but I find them to be more trouble than they’re worth.

Since it’s July, I’ll say blueberry compote is my favorite topping. Last month I would have said strawberry. In other words, use what’s in season and it will be delicious. I like a dusting of cinnamon to finish and maybe a dollop of tangy yogurt on the side.

BASIC CRÊPE BATTER

1¼ cups almond or cashew milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. almond flour
1/3 cup cassava flour
3 Tbsp. tapioca flour or arrowroot starch
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil, plus extra for coating the pan

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until smooth.
2. Heat a small scoop of ghee or coconut oil over medium heat in a crêpe pan or cast-iron skillet. Tip the pan to coat. Test to make sure your pan is hot by sprinkling a little water on it. If the water sizzles, the pan is ready.
3. Pour a quarter cup of batter into the center of the pan and gently tilt the pan around in a circle to spread out the batter. Cook until the top of the pancake is fairly dry, about one minute. Use a thin spatula to flip the crêpe and cook for another minute until the batter is covered in golden spots. Note that as you go, you may need to turn the heat down so the crepes don’t cook too quickly.

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE 

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1 Tbsp. cane sugar
Tiny pinch of sea salt
1/8 cup water
1 tsp. arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Zest of 1 lemon

1. Combine the berries, vanilla, cardamom, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes until the berries have softened and released their juices.
2. In a small cup, dissolve the arrowroot or cornstarch in the water, then pour into the berry mixture, stirring constantly. Continue cooking just until the compote has thickened.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in lemon zest. Cooled compote can be stored in the fridge for 5 days.