French Crêpes Suzette Recipe (Crepes Suzette Fun Facts)
Many dessert connoisseurs have described the French Crepes Suzette as the most famous haute cuisine pancake creation. They agree that it is the queen of retro desserts but what else is known about this snack?
What are French Crepes Suzette?
Crepe Suzette is a traditional French dessert made with homemade crepes and a sugary sweet caramelized sauce made with butter, sugar, orange juice, zest, and Grand Marnier liqueur.
In 1895, a fourteen-year-old assistant waiter named Henri Carpentier created the recipe by accident while preparing a dessert for the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of England.
From that time until now, Crepes Suzette has made waves and has become a classic French dessert.
In restaurants, these Crepes are made in full sight of the guests, after which the alcohol is poured and lit.
The liqueur burns off quickly, leaving behind the caramelized orange sauce, which is served after it has been flambéed.
Crepes are little thin pancakes with no baking powder, making them very light, fluffy, and crunchy.
You can fill it with whatever fillings you want, such as ham, cheese, Nutella, whipped cream, and berries, and it tastes divine.
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Crepes Suzette Recipe
As previously stated, Crepes Suzette contains alcohol, so you don’t need me to tell you to be extremely cautious if you intend to serve it to children.
Crepes Suzette is perfect for brunch or dinner parties, especially when served with vanilla ice cream.
For the citrus, use tangerine juice instead of orange juice and orange liqueur instead of rum for the syrup.
If you don’t have bread flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour and the crepes will still be delicious.
Making Suzette Crepe Batter
Blend the eggs, flour, milk, salt, and water in a blender until smooth and pourable high above the mixing bowl.
Refrigerate the crepe batter, covered, for at least 1 hour.
This allows the bubbles to settle, making the crepes less likely to tear while cooking.
The batter can be stored for up to 48 hours.
Frying the Crepes
Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of sweet butter, but don’t let it get too greasy.
Once the pan is hot, pour in enough batter to cover the bottom, about 3 to 4 tablespoons.
Tip the pan from side to side to finely spread the batter.
Don’t worry if the crepe isn’t perfectly round or has uneven edges; you’ll fold it and no one will notice the imperfections.
When the crepe is finished, fold it in half to make a triangle and stack them on top of each other.
Don’t forget to grease your frying pan again if the crepes become too sticky.
Orange Syrup Preparation
Melt the sugar in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, constantly stirring, until you have a nice caramel.
Stir in the butter, then add the orange juice and zest and reduce the heat until the sauce thickens.
Place as many folded crepes as your pan allows into the orange sauce, then flip and cook until the crepes have absorbed most of the sauce.
Pour in the Grand Marnier alcohol and light it, but be careful not to burn yourself.
When the alcohol has burned off, your Crepes Suzette is ready to serve with caramelized orange peel, vanilla ice cream, or the leftover orange sauce.
Repeat this process for the remaining Crepes Suzette.
Troubleshooting for Crepes
1. Preheat your pan thoroughly because crêpe batter sticks to cold pans.
2. Reduce the heat slightly if your crêpe browns too quickly.
3. If you don’t have an immersion blender or a blender, a hand whisk will suffice.
4. You can make the sauce in two batches, one for cooking and one to pour over the Crepes before serving.
5. If there are too many bubbles in the batter, you have probably beaten it for too long and at a high speed. Allow the batter to rest for a few minutes before baking.
6. If the batter is too thin, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour at a time.
7. If the edges are overly crispy to the point of cracking, the pan is too hot; reduce the heat.
8. Small holes appear in the crepes – use more batter and cover the bottom of the pan completely.
9. If the batter curdles like scrambled eggs, it’s because there’s too much butter or oil in the pan.
10. If the batter does not easily flow around the bottom of the pan, it is too thick. Whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or water.
Fun Facts About Crepes Suzette
1. National Crepe Suzette Day is observed on May 6th.
2. A Crepe Suzette is frequently prepared in front of guests on a small circular table in restaurants.
3. Henri Carpentier accidentally invented the Crepe Suzette while preparing dessert for the Prince of Wales, who was accompanied by a beautiful French girl named Suzette.
4. Another legend has it that the Crepes Suzette was named after Suzanne Reichenberg, a French actress who went by the stage name Suzette.
5. Suzette performed as a maid serving crepes on stage at the Comédie Française.
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