Flambéed Crêpes Suzette: France’s two most famous crêpes in one recipe using seasonal blood oranges and Cointreau and then set alight for a little dessert theatre!
If pasta is my go-to savoury option, then crêpes are definitely my sweet treat of choice.
I love them plain as much as I love them stuffed full of chocolate and strawberries. Though served simply with a scattering of sugar and a squeeze of lemon remains my nostalgic favourite.
I also have a knack for spotting crêpes on menus no matter where I am in the world. Chocolate and salted caramel crêpes in Melbourne, strawberry cream crêpes in Hanoi, banana crêpes in Hoi An, warm apple crumble crêpes in Kyoto, smoked salmon crêpes in London, breakfast buckwheat crêpes (galettes) in Berlin and 14 different crêpes – one every day – in Paris.
What’s the Difference between Crêpes Flambé and Crêpes Suzette?
Like many older dishes, the origins can be slightly skewed, either over time, through re-telling, or from the modernisation of recipes. And Crêpes Suzette is no different.
The more widely told story goes that chef Henri Charpentier, as a 16-year-old waiter at Café de Paris in Monte Carlo (which is still open for business, by the way), accidentally set his dish on fire while preparing a crêpe breakfast for the Prince who would become King Edward VII.
Cooking tableside, the flame from a nearby chafing dish lit the brandy fumes and ignited the saucy crêpes. In his own words, he says: ‘I was embarrassed but I did not show it. I poured the fiery sauce of the crêpes, as if the flames were set on purpose’.
The Prince, supposedly very taken with the crêpes, declined Henri’s offer to name the dish after himself, instead suggesting that the honour be bestowed on his dining companion, a French girl by the name of Suzette.
Another story says the Suzette in question was actually French actress Suzanne Reichenberg, who was knowns as Suzette. In this story, the crêpes were served on stage by Suzette at the Comédie-Française, and were actually flambéed by the chef providing them to keep them warm for the actors to eat!
But if we look to the cooking tomes we still use as references today, including Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire and Montagné’s Larousse Gastronomique, Crêpes Suzette and Crêpes Flambé are actually two different recipes.
So… What’s the Difference?
Crêpes Flambé, like the name suggests, are crêpes that have been cooked in an orange caramel sauce and flambéed – drenched in liqueur and set alight. The blue flames dance over the crêpes for a few moments before extinguishing themselves, always drawing oohs and ahhs from around the table.
Crêpes Suzette, on the other hand, traditionally, were never flambéed. They are crêpes that are cooked in a beurre suzette, a mandarin butter.
Other than the final act of flambé, the two crêpe dishes are very similar, differing mainly in the citrus – mandarins or oranges – and the liqueur – Curaçao or Grand Marnier – used.
Flambéed Crêpes Suzette
In this recipe, I’ve taken some liberties with both the citrus and the liqueur, and also combined the two cooking techniques so you get a truly decadent dessert.
Citrus: Choose between the traditional orange or mandarin. Some translations even include tangerines. I’ve used seasonal blood oranges for their uniquely raspberry-orange taste and colour. Though pomelo could be an interesting choice as well.
Liqueur: Any orange-flavoured liqueur will work just fine, whether it’s Curaçao, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec or Cointreau like I used. If you have it on hand, a tablespoon or two of brandy or cognac is typically added for flavour, though it’s not necessary as the orange liqueur alone will flambé without it no problem.
A note on alcohol and flambé: Make sure to use a 40% proof alcohol. Low-proof alcohol won’t ignite and any proof higher is unsafe to flambé in the home. And never flambé while the stove hood or exhaust fan is operating – you want the flames to burn themselves out, not get sucked up into the fan and set your kitchen on fire!
Looking for Other Sweet Treats? Try These:
Let me know what citrus and liqueur combo you use to make the Flambéed Crêpes Suzette in the comments!
Flambéed Crêpes Suzette
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crêpes
- 30 g butter, plus extra for cooking
- 120 g flour
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 220 ml milk
For the Beurre Suzette
- 80 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 80 g caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon blood orange zest
- 60 ml blood orange juice
For the Flambe
- 35 g caster sugar
- 35 g butter, at room temperature
- Zest from 1 blood orange
- 90 ml blood orange juice
- 60 ml Cointreau
To Serve
- Icing sugar, optional
- Extra citrus zest, optional
- Fresh blood orange and orange slices
- Ice cream, optional
Instructions
- Start by making the crêpes. Melt the butter either on the stovetop in a small pan or in a bowl using a microwave. Set aside to cool slightly. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Then make a well in the middle and add the eggs. Crêpe batters are notorious for having lumps if you don’t exercise some patience – start whisking the eggs together, incorporating a little bit of flour from the sides of the well as you go. Do not try to whisk all the dry flour into the eggs all at once.
- When the egg mixture is fairly shaggy, gradually start incorporating the milk a little at a time, continuing to whisk from the centre out – do not dump the milk in all at once or you will end up with flour lumps in your batter. Once all the liquid is incorporated, give the mixture a good rigorous mix to catch any bits of stray flour from around the edges. Then stir in the butter so that the batter becomes glossy. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- While the crêpe batter is resting, make the beurre Suzette (Suzette butter). Either in a bowl with a fork, or if your butter is still a little hard, using a small food processor. Start by processing the butter until smooth, then add the sugar and blood orange zest and blend. Gradually add in the blood orange juice until incorporated. Set aside.
- Next, prep all the ingredients for the flambe. Once you start you need to have everything within reach and ready to add into the pan quickly.
- Back to the crêpes. Take the batter out of the fridge and give it a good stir. To cook the crêpes, heat your 20cm crêpe or any other pan – preferably with shallow sides so you can slip a palette knife or spatula underneath easily – over medium heat. Using a paper towel, spread a very thin layer of butter around the pan. When hot, add just under ¼ cup of batter and tilt the pan from side to side quickly to distribute the batter evenly. Cook for around 45 seconds, or until the edges start to curl up and get lacey. Use a palette knife to lift the edge, and when the bottom is dappled golden brown, flip the crêpe over. Cook for a further 15 seconds or so, until the other side gets some colour, and then flip out onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 15-20 crêpes, buttering the pan with the paper towel as needed and separating each crêpe with a little square of baking paper. (Remember, crêpes are supposed to be thin so use less batter to match the size of your pan.)
- When the crêpes are ready, prepare the flambe sauce and liqueur. It’s important to use a non-reactive pan for this part of the recipe (or have a flame-proof serving dish ready) and return the pan to a low heat. Add the sugar and let it cook until it just starts to melt. Add the butter and stir to combine as it continues to melt. Add in the blood orange zest and juice and continue to cook unit it reduce slightly and thickens.
- Working with 1 crêpe at a time, dip the crêpe into the flambe caramel sauce until coated all over and on both sides. Fold it in half into a half moon shape, add a teaspoon or so of the Suzette butter to one side and then fold the crêpe over the butter so you have a triangle shape. Push it to the edge of pan, and repeat until you have 8 cone-shaped crêpes filled with butter and dipped in sauce. Remove from the heat.
- Time to flambe. FIRST, TURN OFF YOUR EXHAUST FAN!!! If you’re cooking on a gas stovetop and you’re feeling daring, you can now pour over the Cointreau, and once heated, you can tip your pan toward the flame and ignite the liqueur vapours. If you’re cooking on an electric or induction cooktop, or would like to flambe your crêpes in a safer way, pour the Cointreau into a small pan and heat it over low heat until just warm – cold liqueur won’t ignite! Make sure the crêpes are in a non-reactive pan or a flame-proof serving dish, take the Cointreau off the heat and ignite it using a kitchen lighter or long match. Pour the flaming liqueur all around the crêpes and let the flames subside.
- Dust with icing sugar, sprinkle with extra zest and serve immediately with slices of fresh blood oranges and oranges (and even some ice cream, if that makes you happy).
