Sumptuous Crêpes Suzette
AuthorJackie DeKnockCategoryFrance, GOURMET ADVENTUREThe first time I ever tasted Crêpes Suzette was well, OK, in France. It was a true foodie high-light to watch a professional waiter prepare and serve this sumptuous dessert in a quaint little restaurant tucked away in the rolling hills of the Loire Valley. The scent of orange filed the restaurant and then the show began as he folded then swirled the crepes! The taste of this most famous crepe dessert will always impress and is truly easy to make. Try this fabulous recipe - and enjoy!
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In a large skillet over high heat, bring the orange juice to a boil. Add the sugar, reduce to medium heat and simmer for 2 Minutes. Remove from heat and add the orange zest and butter. Set aside.
Sift flour and mix with salt in a bowl. (Note: Prefer whole wheat flour? No problem. You can substitute the white flour with your own favorite!)
Make a well and pour in eggs, stir well.
Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Keep stirring batter until small bubbles form on the surface.
Stir in Butter.
Or using a food processor, blend the flour, milk, eggs, butter and salt to the consistency of olive oil, or until it will pour back silently and smoothly from a foot or more above the mixing bowl.
Let the batter sit at least an hour to allow the flour time to absorb the liquid. The mixture will thicken as it stands, so you may need to adjust the liquid after the batter rests by adding 1 tbsp of water before cooking. General rule of thumb: You want to end up with a consistency like whipping cream (batter which should have the consistency of light cream, just thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, if it seems thicker than cream, add a little more water and/or a little more milk).
Pour a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and wipe the non-stick pan evenly. Keep paper towel at hand while preparing crepes, in case you want to give it another wipe.
Once the crepe-pan is well-heated (medium heat), pour in a small ladle of batter into the pan (2 - 3 tbsp.) and quickly swirl pan around, so that batter is evenly distributed, covering the whole surface with a thin layer (this is the important trick!). Don't worry if the crepe isn't perfectly round or has uneven edges, as it will be rolled or folded and the imperfections will not matter.
Let cook for about 1 minute until golden brown and until the top begins to look dry. Then, flip with a spatula, and cook other side for about 30 seconds.
Repeat these steps until you are out of batter, stacking cooked crepes on a plate. Wipe the pan with an oiled paper towel if crepes begin to stick. Yum!
Fold your crepe in half, and then fold in half again to form a triangle. Place crepe into the skillet, swirl and turn over to cover with sauce. Serve immediately, sprinkle with sugar and enjoy warm!
NOTE: As when making other types of pancakes, expect that you may have to throw away the first 1 or 2 crepes until you get the pan temperature just right.
History of Crepes Suzette.
Probably the most famous crepe dish in the world. The dish was created out of a mistake made by a fourteen year-old assistant waiter Henri Carpentier (1880-1961) in 1895 at the Maitre at Monte Carlo's Café de Paris. He was preparing a dessert for the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII (1841-1910) of England.
According to Henri Charpentier, in own words from Life A La Henri – Being The Memories of Henri Charpentier:
“It was quite by accident as I worked in front of a chafing dish that the cordials caught fire. I thought I was ruined. The Prince and his friends were waiting. How could I begin all over? I tasted it. It was, I thought, the most delicious melody of sweet flavors I had every tasted. I still think so. That accident of the flame was precisely what was needed to bring all those various instruments into one harmony of taste . . . He ate the pancakes with a fork; but he used a spoon to capture the remaining syrup. He asked me the name of that which he had eaten with so much relish. I told him it was to be called Crepes Princesse. He recognized that the pancake controlled the gender and that this was a compliment designed for him; but he protested with mock ferocity that there was a lady present. She was alert and rose to her feet and holding her little shirt wide with her hands she made him a curtsey. ‘Will you,’ said His Majesty, ‘change Crepes Princesse to Crepes Suzette?’ Thus was born and baptized this confection, one taste of which, I really believe, would reform a cannibal into a civilized gentleman. The next day I received a present from the Prince, a jeweled ring, a panama hat and a cane.”
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Ingredients
Directions
In a large skillet over high heat, bring the orange juice to a boil. Add the sugar, reduce to medium heat and simmer for 2 Minutes. Remove from heat and add the orange zest and butter. Set aside.
Sift flour and mix with salt in a bowl. (Note: Prefer whole wheat flour? No problem. You can substitute the white flour with your own favorite!)
Make a well and pour in eggs, stir well.
Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Keep stirring batter until small bubbles form on the surface.
Stir in Butter.
Or using a food processor, blend the flour, milk, eggs, butter and salt to the consistency of olive oil, or until it will pour back silently and smoothly from a foot or more above the mixing bowl.
Let the batter sit at least an hour to allow the flour time to absorb the liquid. The mixture will thicken as it stands, so you may need to adjust the liquid after the batter rests by adding 1 tbsp of water before cooking. General rule of thumb: You want to end up with a consistency like whipping cream (batter which should have the consistency of light cream, just thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, if it seems thicker than cream, add a little more water and/or a little more milk).
Pour a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and wipe the non-stick pan evenly. Keep paper towel at hand while preparing crepes, in case you want to give it another wipe.
Once the crepe-pan is well-heated (medium heat), pour in a small ladle of batter into the pan (2 - 3 tbsp.) and quickly swirl pan around, so that batter is evenly distributed, covering the whole surface with a thin layer (this is the important trick!). Don't worry if the crepe isn't perfectly round or has uneven edges, as it will be rolled or folded and the imperfections will not matter.
Let cook for about 1 minute until golden brown and until the top begins to look dry. Then, flip with a spatula, and cook other side for about 30 seconds.
Repeat these steps until you are out of batter, stacking cooked crepes on a plate. Wipe the pan with an oiled paper towel if crepes begin to stick. Yum!
Fold your crepe in half, and then fold in half again to form a triangle. Place crepe into the skillet, swirl and turn over to cover with sauce. Serve immediately, sprinkle with sugar and enjoy warm!
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