Crepes Suzette is always on my short list of favorites. Making them is both exciting and satisfying for those of us that like to play with fire. That’s precisely why I chose them for the dessert course of my French dinner party.
Saga of the Crepes
Do you know that sugar and salt are the same color? Of course you do and so do I, but they’re easily confused when both are in unmarked, identical ramekins. With a pre-dinner cocktail and six courses accompanied by four bottles of wine, things became a little fuzzy as I made dessert.
With my dinner guests gathered ’round the stove cheering me on, I grabbed the wrong ramekin and salted the orange sauce. We sat down and discovered my mistake with the first bite, but crepes suzette is so good everyone cleared their plate.
If that was good enough to eat, imagine how delicious this is when properly finished with sugar!
Making Crepes Suzette
Batter should be smooth and bubble-free.
Golden brown is the goal and pay no attention to the slight tear I made when turning it!
Caramelize the raw sugar in the butter, then add the orange juice, stir and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low while coating and folding the crepes in the sauce.
Important! Remove the pan from the heat and flame of the gas stove before adding the liqueurs! Then return to medium heat and light the fire. Remove from the heat again, wait for the flames to subside, plate and serve.
Crepes Suzette
Crepes in Orange Sauce with Whipped Cream
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-7 crepes 1x
Ingredients
Crepes
- 2 large eggs
- 2 TBL granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 TBL Grand Marnier
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 TBL unsalted butter – lightly browned and slightly cooled
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Crepes Suzette
- 2 TBL unsalted butter
- 2 TBL raw sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice – about 2 large naval oranges
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
- 1 tsp Hamilton 151 rum
- Whipped cream – garnish
- 1 TBL raw sugar – garnish
Instructions
Make The Crepes
- Combine all the crepe ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and blend for 5 more seconds
- Transfer to a shallow bowl, cover and refrigerate until the bubbles dissipate or overnight
- Remove from the refrigerator and let the batter come to room temperature, then gently stir to reincorporate all the ingredients thoroughly
- Heat a 6-7″ non-stick pan over medium-low heat
- When hot, pour 1/4 cup of batter into the center and slowly swirl the pan to facilitate covering the entire bottom evenly with batter
- Cook for about 1 minute until the edges are golden and the top is almost dry, but not completely
- Raise the edge with a spatula and turn with your fingers or spatula. Cook for another 30-45 seconds until the crepe is fully cooked and the bottom is golden brown
- Slide the crepe out onto a platter and stack on top of one another until ready to flambe. Repeat using the remaining batter until it is gone, about 6-7 crepes total
- Use immediately, or wrap in plastic and reserve for later
Finishing the Crepes Suzette
- Melt 2 TBL of unsalted butter and the raw sugar in a large round pan over medium heat until the sugar begins to caramelize
- Add the orange juice, stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low
- Place a crepe in the pan, face side up, then flip to coat both sides in the sauce, then fold it in half, and in half again to make a triangle. Add and repeat with the remaining crepes
- NOTE: Each crepe has a “face side”. That’s the pretty side that was on the bottom when you first poured the batter to cook
- With all the crepes folded, remove the pan from the burner and carefully add the liqueurs
- Return the pan over medium heat and light the fire with a long stick butane lighter
- Remove from the burner and set aside until the flames subside
- Plate the crepes, spoon sauce over them, add a large dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with the raw sugar
Notes
I cannot over-emphasize how careful you should be when adding the liqueurs to the pan, especially if you are using a gas stove with an open flame. I once managed to ignite the flambe while adding the liqueurs and once was enough!