Crêpes Suzette
Delicate, fresh crêpes, served in a silky and sweet orange sauce, completed by fresh orange segments – a satisfying Suzette is a classic for good reason. A generous glug of orange liqueur adds a touch of luxury to this delicious dessert for an extra indulgent Pancake Day. Flambé the syrupy sauce just before serving, and create an impressive, eye catching dinner party finale.
Method
For the crêpes:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and a pinch of salt, then make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it.
In a jug, mix the milk with 80ml cold water, then gradually pour the milk over the eggs, whisking well and bringing the flour in from the sides. Continue whisking until you have a smooth, liquid batter. It won’t be very thick and should resemble thin pouring cream.
Melt 60g butter in a small pan or in the microwave and whisk 2 tablespoons into the batter, leaving the rest to one side, for greasing the pan.
Place a large crêpe pan or low sided frying pan on medium heat, then dip a folded piece of kitchen roll into the melted butter and grease the pan.
Pour around 2 tablespoons of crêpe mix into a ladle, then into the pan. Take a firm hold of the pan handle and swirl the mix around to create a thin, even layer of batter. Fill in any gaps with drops of a little more batter.
Allow to set for around 30 seconds to 1 minute, then run a palette knife around the edges of the crêpe to check its colour and texture. It should be lightly golden and come away easily from the pan.
Flip the pancake to cook on the other side and once golden, slide the crêpe onto a plate lined with greaseproof paper, then place another sheet on top.
Grease the pan with more butter and repeat the process until all the batter is used up.
Continue to stack the delicate crêpes and once finished, cover the last one with a final piece of greaseproof paper. Drape a clean tea towel over the whole stack, to keep warm, then place them to one side whilst you make the sauce.
For the sauce:
Mix together the fresh orange zest, lemon zest and juice in a jug and keep to one side, then place the orange segments into a separate bowl.
To a large frying pan, add 80g butter and caster sugar and heat gently, until melted. The pan should be big enough to hold all the crepes, folded into quarters. Swirl the butter and sugar occasionally as it melts.
Once the butter has liquified, turn up the heat and allow it to bubble for around 3 minutes, until golden brown. Stir in the citrus juices and zest, reduce the heat a little and let it bubble for a few minutes until the sauce reaches a delectable, syrupy consistency and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Fold the crêpes into quarters and arrange them in the pan, drizzling the sauce over them, then follow with most of the orange segments, keeping a few for decoration
Heat the Grand Marnier or Cointreau for a few seconds in a small saucepan, then pour it over the crêpes. Flambé the Crêpe Suzette carefully, by setting the sauce alight. Once the flames have reduced, scatter the remaining orange segments over the crêpes and serve, to the delight of your dinner party guests.
For a quick alternative, make the crêpes following the recipe and serve later, with warmed orange or lemon curd and fresh slices of orange
Ingredients
For the crêpes:
120g plain flour
A pinch of salt
2 Large Clarence Court Burford Browns
200ml milk
80ml cold water
60g unsalted butter
For the sauce:
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of half a lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
250ml fresh orange juice
3 oranges, peeled and segmented
80g unsalted butter
80g caster sugar
5 tablespoons Grand Marnier or Cointreau