Desserts don’t get much French-er than Crêpe Suzette. The story goes that an assistant waiter, Henri Charpentier accidentally invented the dessert in 1895 at the age of 14… he was preparing a crêpe dish for the Prince of Wales, who would become King Edward VII at Monte Carlo’s Café in Paris. The Prince and guests, including a certain beauty called Suzette were eagerly awaiting the dessert. The dessert called for adding Grand Marnier to the dish. It accidentally caught fire in the chaffing dish from the nearby gas stoves. Poor Henri thought he was doomed. When the flames were out, he snipped off a small corner and tasted – the most ‘beautiful melody of delicious sensations’. The King loved it, ate it with a fork, spooned up the rest of the liqueur and insisted that the novel creation be named after his guest, Suzette. Nice story.
At fancy French restaurants, at those that continue to make them, the final touches, including the flambé, are done at the table side.
This is not fast, this is not easy.
But if you want to impress your family and friends, this is IT!
And now, classic Crêpe Suzette:
Ingredients
Crepes:
¾ cup whole milk (180ml)
½ cup cold water (120ml)
2 large eggs room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon grated orange zest
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
Sauce:
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
¾ cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges/ 180ml)
½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
⅓ cup orange liqueur (80ml)
Instructions
For the Crepe Batter:
Whisk together the milk, water, eggs, melted butter, sugar, orange zest, and salt until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Gradually add the flour until well blended with no lumps. Let the batter sit at room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Continue with the sauce while the batter rests.
For the Sauce:
In a large skillet, bring the orange zest, orange juice, butter, and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir in orange liqueur.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until syrupy, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat enough to just keep the sauce warm.
For the Crepes:
Brush a crepe pan or small skillet with melted butter; heat over medium-low heat. Add about 1/4 cup batter, swirling into an even layer. Cook, undisturbed, until light golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Carefully flip the crepe and continue cooking until light golden brown, about 30 seconds more. Remove from the skillet. Gently fold into quarters and place on a tray or plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the pan lightly with melted butter in between each crepe.
For the Assembly:
Once cooked, add all of the folded crepes to the orange sauce. Cook over medium-low heat, undisturbed, until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately, spooning additional sauce over crepes, garnish with orange slices, berries…with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Flambé
If you desire that extra flavour that flambéing adds, be extremely careful not to set the house on fire. Holding the skillet handle with gloves, add ½ oz rum and light it. Another person doing the lighting is helpful. Hold it at arm’s length, over a sink is best (just in case) – a butane torch lighter is best-est.
Enjoy!!
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