Crêpes Suzette
Delicate crêpes soaked in a buttery orange and Grand Marnier sauce until glossy and fragrant, then flambéed at the table. Rich, citrusy, and just sweet enough. The sauce does everything and the crêpes absorb every bit of it!
Ingredients
For the crêpes
- 125 gr plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml whole milk
- 1 tbsp Grand Marnier Liqueur or Cointreau
- 30 gr unsalted butter plus extra for the pan
- ½ orange zest
For the orange sauce
- 100 gr unsalted butter at room temperature
- 50 gr caster sugar
- 2 orange zest finely grated
- 100 ml orange juice
- 2 tbsp Grand Marnier Liqueur
- 3 tbsp Grand Marnier Liqueur optional to flambée
Equipment
- frying pan or Crêpe pan
- frying pan for the sauce
- pastry brush for greasing the pan
Instructions
1. Make the batter
- In a jug, whisk the flour, salt and sugar. Make a well and crack in the eggs, whisking from the middle outwards. Add the milk gradually, whisking, then the melted butter, Grand Marnier and orange zest. You want the consistency of single cream. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
2. Cook the pancakes
- Heat the pan over medium-high and brush lightly with butter. Pour in a small ladleful, tilting immediately to spread thin. Cook about 1 minute, until the edges lift and the base is golden, then flip and cook 30 seconds. Stack on a plate. Brush the pan between each. Makes about 12.
3. Make the orange butter sauce
- In a large frying pan, melt the butter with the sugar over medium heat until bubbling and golden, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and juice and bubble for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly thickened and glossy. Stir in 2 tbsp Grand Marnier.
4. Coat the pancakes
- Fold each crêpe in half, then half again into a triangle. Dip in the sauce, turning to coat both sides, and tuck to the side of the pan. Repeat, working in batches if needed.
5. Flambé (optional but brilliant)
- Warm 2 to 3 tbsp Grand Marnier in a small pan or ladle. Take the crêpe pan off the heat, pour the warmed liqueur over, and light it carefully with a long match, standing well back. Let the flames die down naturally, about 30 seconds.
6. Serve immediately
- Plate up 3 crêpes per person, spoon over extra sauce from the pan, and serve hot.
Notes
- You can cook the pancakes a few hours in advance. Stack them with greaseproof paper between each one and keep them covered. The orange butter can be made ahead too and gently rewarmed, just don't let it boil once the butter's in or it'll split.
- No Grand Marnier? Cointreau works brilliantly, as does any orange liqueur. The original Escoffier recipe used Curaçao. In a pinch, use extra orange juice and a splash of brandy.
- Flambé safety! Keep your face and hair well back when you light it. Make sure there's nothing flammable nearby. The alcohol will burn off quickly and it's mostly for show, the flavour doesn't change drastically if you skip this step.
- If your pancake batter's too thick after resting, add a splash more milk. It should pour easily and spread thinly across the pan.
- In case of lumps in the batter, pass the batter through a fine sieve. Or just whisk harder next time and add the liquid more gradually.