Crêpes Suzette

Crêpes Suzette

A classic from the 1800's in France, its origins are debated. I would like to believe the most romantic story-the one where chef Henri Charpentier erroneously lit up the liquor while he was about to serve the Prince of Wales. Left with no choice but to serve the dessert, he proceeded with confidence to present this "flambéed" dish! Later on, when he was asked the name of this delicacy, he said crepes princess. A young girl, Suzette, seated at the table, requested the Prince to rename it after her instead—thus the creation of Crêpes Suzette. The one questionable fact in the story remains unanswered-Henri was 14 years old at the time. Was he serving the Prince?

This dish remains a classic. Its ingredients have not changed much over the years.

Growing up, we had it on special occasions and continue to enjoy it to this day.

Makes 10 crepes

In a bowl beat 2 eggs until frothy and light
In another bowl mix together
1/2 cup sifted  flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup warm milk
2 tbsp melted salted butter
When smooth and free of lumps, add the beaten egg to the mixture, stir to combine and voila the batter is ready to start sizzling in the crepe pan.

Tips

Eggs should be at room temperature. The volume is easily doubled. 
If you prefer not to wash the beaters, beat the eggs first. Dirty beaters do not beat eggs!

Stir and let it rest for 30 minutes to thicken.

Heat a skillet. Pour in 1/10th of the batter. Swirl the pan and allow it to cook for 40 seconds. Flip. Wait for 30 seconds and flip it over onto a flat plate. Repeat.

Once all the crepes are done, fold each one into four quarters. Keep aside

For the Beurre Suzette - orange sauce

3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

4 oz butter

5 tbsp sugar - or more to taste

pinch of salt

1 orange sliced 

3 tbsp liquor - grand mariner, rum or cognac

Melt the sugar in a large skillet and bring all of the ingredients, except the liquor, to a boil. Cook this on a simmer for 30 minutes until it thickens and feels sticky.

Add the liquor. Place half the crepes in the pan and boil for 3 minutes.

Place them on serving plates and serve. Repeat with the rest of the crepes.

Tips

The "sweeter" the butter in nature, the tastier this dish is. Salted butter is my personal preference.

The best oranges to use are kinoo, narangi, clementine, and mandarin.

A little tartness helps enhance the flavour of this recipe. 

Traditionally, Grand Mariner, Triple Sec, or Cointreau-orange liquors are used.

Flambe` the 3rd tablespoon of liquor if you wish to light up the pan. To do that, you will need to heat the metal spoon, pour the liquor into it, and light it. Quickly pour the liquid over the skillet and it should alight. The already added liquor will catch the flame!

You must be careful while you do the flambe`. 

1.Pour the liquor into a glass. DO NOT pour directly from the bottle.

2. Stand away from the pan. Do not try this with young children in the room.

3. Keep a lid handy to cover the pan in an emergency. 

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.