A beautiful balance of sweetness, zest and booze, this retro dessert is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
CRÊPES SUZETTE
Elevate your Pancake Day dessert with this classic French recipe...
SERVES 6
PREP: 15 mins
COOK: 30 mins
INGREDIENTS
-
- 110g plain flour, sifted
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 200ml milk
- 75ml water
- 100g butter
-
- 2 medium oranges, grated zest only
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 150ml orange juice
- 1 small lemon, grated rind and juice
- 3 tbsp Grand Marnier
METHOD
1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and break the eggs into it. Begin whisking, incorporating any flour from around the edge of the bowl.
2. Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water whilst still whisking. Once all the liquid has been incorporated, scrape any flour from around the edge into the centre with a spatula. Whisk again until the batter is smooth.
3. Melt 50g of butter in a pan then spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk. Pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan - don't forget to smear it around before you make each pancake. Stir the zest of 1 medium orange and 1 tbsp caster sugar into the batter.
4. Heat the pan until it's really hot, then turn the heat down to medium. Do a test pancake to gauge how much batter to use - these crêpes should be thinner than a normal pancakes, so use ½ tbsp of batter at a time in a 18cm/7in pan.
5. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip from side to side to evenly coat the base with batter - the crêpe should only take half a minute to cook. Lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be.
6. Flip the pancake with a palette knife, giving the other side a few seconds to cook, then slide it out of the pan and onto a plate. You should be able to make 15-16 crêpes.
7. Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.
8. To make the sauce, mix the orange juice, the zest of 1 orange, the rind and juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp caster sugar and 3 tbsp Grand Marnier. While doing this, warm the plates on which the crêpes are going to be served. Next melt the butter in the frying pan, pour in the sauce and allow it to heat gently.
9. Place the first crêpe in the pan, giving it time to warm through before folding it in half and then in half again to make a triangular shape. Slide onto the very edge of the pan, tilt the pan so that the sauce runs back into the centre, then add the next crêpe. Continue until they're all reheated, folded and soaked in the sauce.
10. Now for the final step - flame the crêpes. Heat a ladle over a gas flame then, away from the heat, pour a little Grand Marinier into it. Return it to the heat to warm the spirit, then set light to it. Carry the flaming ladle and pour the flames over the crêpes before serving.
