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!

Prep15

Cook30

Total1 45

Servings

DifficultyMedium

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

mixing jug
whisk
frying pan or Crêpe pan
lemon zester
frying pan for the sauce
ladle
pastry brush for greasing the pan

Instructions

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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