Crepes Suzette embody the elegance of French gastronomy in all its simplicity. This delicate dessert consists of crepes topped with a creamy mandarin or orange and Grand Marnier sauce, which are then flambéed.
It’s a plated dessert found on high-end restaurant menus that impresses flambéed at the table. Tasting is a true moment of delectation, with the intense taste of the subtly caramelized orange sauce warming and enchanting the senses.
Homemade crepes suzette
The history of Crêpes Suzette is as captivating as their exquisite taste. This iconic dessert is said to have been created by Auguste Escoffier, then head chef of the Savoy Hotel in London, in 1890. Previously, he had been head chef at César Ritz’s Grand Hotel, where Grand Marnier liqueur was popularized.
According to this hypothesis, Escoffier prepared curaçao-flavored crêpes for the Prince of Wales and future King of England, Edward VII. The latter is said to have suggested naming the dessert after Suzanne Reichenberg, the Comédie-Française actress who accompanied him.
However, it’s important to note that some sources attribute the creation of Crêpes Suzette to Henri Charpentier, a young chef who accidentally created the dessert in 1895. While preparing a dessert for the Prince of Wales, future King Edward VII, the orange sauce caught fire.
Table of Contents
Tips for a Successful Homemade Crepes Suzette :
Why deprive yourself of such an easy-to-make dessert? If you’re entertaining friends and want to impress them without spending hours in the kitchen, this is just the thing.
1. Perfect batter: The success of this dessert begins with the right crepe recipe. I recommend my favorite recipe for light, fluffy crepes. Start by preparing the crepe batter and letting it rest for at least 1 hour.
2. Orange Sauce: Prepare a velvety orange sauce by mixing freshly squeezed orange juice, sugar and butter. You can add a touch of cognac or orange liqueur for an even more refined flavor.
3. Assembly: Fold the crêpes into quarters and place in the pan with the orange sauce. Let them soak gently in the sauce until hot and deliciously fragrant.
4. Finishing: Just before serving, flambé the crêpes with a dash of orange liqueur. Flambéing adds a theatrical touch to your dessert that will impress and intensify the flavours.
Preparation steps :
| NB: Find the complete recipe with detailed ingredient quantities in the recipe- card at the end of the article, which you can also print out. Below are the instructions, which you can also view in images. |
Prepare the crepe batter
To make delicious crepes Suzette, start by preparing the crepes. Don’t forget that the key to this recipe’s success lies first and foremost in obtaining perfect, light crepes.
You can use a blender to prepare the batter, but I make it without one and it’s perfect without any lumps.
1. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and add the salt and granulated sugar. Mix with a whisk.
2. In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then add the milk, water, orange juice, and orange zest.
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the milk mixture little by little, still whisking in the center. Gradually the flour collapses into the well. You should obtain a fluid, lump-free batter.
4. Melt butter and add, stirring until smooth.
5. Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest for at least 1 h at room temperature. You can prepare the batter the day before and leave it in the fridge.
6. After this resting time, your batter is ready to be baked.
Cooking crepes
1. Use a lightly buttered non-stick frying pan.
2. Heat the pan over medium heat.
3. Ladle a little batter into the pan, tilting the pan to spread it evenly. The batter should cover the pan in a thin layer. If you’ve poured too much batter, once the bottom of the pan is covered, pour the rest into the bowl.
4. Cook the crepe until the edge begins to lift, about 2 minutes. Before turning over, check that the underside is golden brown.
5. Using a silicone spatula to avoid scratching the pan, flip the pancake over and cook the other side until lightly browned. Remove the crepe from the pan as soon as it is cooked to prevent it from hardening.
6. Finish the rest of the batter in the same way.
7. Place the crêpes on top of each other on a plate and cover with aluminum foil or a tea towel.
Preparing the orange sauce
1. In a frying pan, combine one-third of the orange juice with the sugar, butter, and orange zest. Bring to the boil over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The juice will foam up, then become darker and smoother. The taste of the orange has intensified.
2. Pour in the remaining orange juice and mix well.
3. Let the sauce cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. It should reduce and thicken slightly.
4. The orange sauce is ready! You can remove it from the heat and store it until you need it.
5. Place a crepe folded in half in the sauce, then fold in half again. Do the same for the rest of the crepe.
Flambéing
The final step in preparing restaurant-style homemade crepes Suzette is flambéing.
1. Pour a little Grand Marnier or Cointreau into the pan and ignite the liquid by tilting the pan slightly towards the flame of your gas stove, or by using a match or lighter.
2. Gently shake the pan to extinguish the flame. You can brown the crepes more or less.
Your crepes Suzette are ready to eat! Serve hot with the orange sauce. Garnish with julienne candied oranges and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an even more delicious dessert.
If you’ve prepared the crepes in advance, you can reheat them for a few seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the oven before serving. Serve on a warm plate to keep the heat in.
Candied orange peel
1. Wash the orange thoroughly by scrubbing it. Use a peeler to peel it into thin strips. Try to remove only the colored part of the bark and leave the white part, as it can be bitter.
2. Cut the orange peel strips into julienne strips. Make sure they are roughly the same size for even cooking.
3. Place in a frying pan and cover with water and orange juice. Bring to the boil over medium heat and cook for around ten minutes, more or less. They must be tender.
4. If a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat to evaporate it so that only a little remains, as shown in the photo below.
5. Add sugar and cook until julienne orange become translucent.
6. No water should remain, but a syrupy mixture that coats the orange juliennes.
7. Allow to cool before using on crepes.
Homemade Crepes Suzette Recipe (Orange Sauce)
EQUIPEMENTS
INGREDIENTS
Crepe Batter
- 1/2 liter (17 fl oz)whole milk
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) water (preferably mineral)
- 4 eggs
- 30 ml orange juice 2 tablespoons (rum or Grand Marnier in the original recipe)
- Zest of one orange
- 200 g (7 oz) all-purpose flour
- 50 g ( 1.75 oz) granulated sugar
- 3 g fine salt 1 teaspoon
- 20 g (0.7 oz) butter
Orange Sauce
- 200 ml ( 7 fl oz)orange juice (approximately 4 oranges)
- 120 g (4.2 oz) granulated sugar
- 100 g ( 3.5 oz )butter
- 1 teaspoon of orange zest
Candied Orange peel
- 1 untreated orange preferably
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Juice of the orange
- A little water
PREPARATION
Prepare the crepe batter
- To make delicious crepes Suzette, start by preparing the crepes. Don't forget that the key to this recipe's success lies first and foremost in obtaining perfect, light crepes.
- You can use a blender to prepare the batter, but I make it without one and it's perfect without any lumps.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and add the salt and granulated sugar. Mix with a whisk.
- In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then add the milk, water, orange juice, and orange zest.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the milk mixture little by little, still whisking in the center. Gradually the flour collapses into the well. You should obtain a fluid, lump-free batter.
- Melt butter and add, stirring until smooth.
- Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest for at least 1 h at room temperature. You can prepare the batter the day before and leave it in the fridge.
- After this resting time, your batter is ready to be baked.
Cooking crepes
- Use a lightly buttered non-stick frying pan.
- Heat the pan over medium heat.
- Ladle a little batter into the pan, tilting the pan to spread it evenly. The batter should cover the pan in a thin layer. If you've poured too much batter, once the bottom of the pan is covered, pour the rest into the bowl.
- Cook the crepe until the edge begins to lift, about 2 minutes. Before turning over, check that the underside is golden brown.
- Using a silicone spatula to avoid scratching the pan, flip the pancake over and cook the other side until lightly browned. Remove the crepe from the pan as soon as it is cooked to prevent it from hardening.
- Finish the rest of the batter in the same way.
- Place the crepes on top of each other on a plate and cover with aluminum foil or a tea towel.
Preparing the orange sauce
- In a frying pan, combine one-third of the orange juice with the sugar, butter, and orange zest. Bring to the boil over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The juice will foam up, then become darker and smoother. The taste of the orange has intensified.
- Pour in the remaining orange juice and mix well.
- Let the sauce cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. It should reduce and thicken slightly.
- The orange sauce is ready! You can remove it from the heat and store it until you need it.
- Place a crepe folded in half in the sauce, then fold in half again. Do the same for the rest of the crepe.
Flambéing
- The final step in preparing restaurant-style homemade crepes Suzette is flambéing.
- Pour a little Grand Marnier or Cointreau into the pan and ignite the liquid by tilting the pan slightly towards the flame of your gas stove, or by using a match or lighter.
- Gently shake the pan to extinguish the flame. You can brown the crepes more or less.
- Your crepes Suzette are ready to eat! Serve hot with the orange sauce. Garnish with julienne candied oranges and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an even more delicious dessert.
- If you've prepared the crepes in advance, you can reheat them for a few seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the oven before serving. Serve on a warm plate to keep the heat in.
Candied orange peel
- Wash the orange thoroughly by scrubbing it. Use a peeler to peel it into thin strips. Try to remove only the colored part of the bark and leave the white part, as it can be bitter.
- Cut the orange peel strips into julienne strips. Make sure they are roughly the same size for even cooking.
- Place in a frying pan and cover with water and orange juice. Bring to the boil over medium heat and cook for around ten minutes, more or less. They must be tender.
- If a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat to evaporate it so that only a little remains, as shown in the photo below.
- Add sugar and cook until julienne orange become translucent.
- No water should remain, but a syrupy mixture that coats the orange juliennes.
- Allow to cool before using on crepes.
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