Crepes suzette is a must dessert in your recipe book.

Do you remember that in my family we used to have cooking competitions? Well, now that we are older, we still do some of them, for example, we recently did one called “Who brings the best dessert?“

I decided to bring these crepes with creme suzette to that dinner… and they were a hit!

If you want to make a special meal, this crepes suzette recipe is a great option to surprise your guests.

Crepes Must Always Be Flambéed ?

They do not always have to be flambéed. It is true that the origin of these pancakes comes from an unintentional flambéing accident; however, they are just as delicious in case you don’t want to flambé them. You can add the liqueur while making the sauce.

Who Invented Crepe Suzette ?

The most widespread legend about the origin of this dessert claims that, while a maitre was preparing some crepes for King Edward VII, at that time Prince of Wales, a tangerine liqueur that was nearby accidentally spilled and ignited in the crepes. As a consequence, this dessert was a great success among the diners, and the prince decided to name it after a young girl who was accompanying them. Her name was Suzette.

What Liqueur Is Commonly Used To Make Crepes Suzettes?

Originally, the liqueur used was Curaçao, but nowadays is commonly used Grand Marnier or Cointreau, both are orange flavored liqueurs. Some people make these crepes with brandy or rum as a substitute.

How To Flambe Crepes Suzette ?

Once the crêpes have been soaked in the Suzette sauce, and always with the extractor hood off, pour the liqueur and flambé crepes with the help of a lighter or a blowtorch. They can be flambéed in the pan or in front of the guests by pouring the orange liqueur at the last moment.

How to Make Crepes Suzette

To make this dessert, three parts must be taken into account: crepes, suzette sauce and flambé.

Crepes

1. Melt 50 grams of butter in the microwave for 40 seconds. Set aside.

2. In a hand blender jar, add half a liter of whole milk, 3 eggs, 250 grams of flour, a teaspoon of salt, 10 grams of sugar and the melted butter. Beat with a hand blender on medium speed until no lumps.

3. Strain the mixture and let it sit for one hour at room temperature, or half an hour in the refrigerator if you do not have time.

4. Once the resting time is up, put a small knob of unsalted butter in a 9.5 inch frying pan over medium high heat and wait for the butter to melt. Then, with a paper towel, spread the melted butter all over the pan.

5. With the help of a ladle, pour some crepe batter into the pan and tilt and turn the pan so that the mixture is evenly distributed.

6. Let the crepe cook, without touching it, for about one minute. Lift the edge a little with the help of a skimmer spoon and, when you see that it is golden brown, turn it over and wait a few seconds until the other side is also done. Remove the crepe from the heat and start again with another one.

Creme Suzette

7. Peel and cut the skin of an orange very thinly and then, with 2 oranges, make a fresh orange juice.

8. In a frying pan over medium heat, add 100 grams of sugar and 100 grams of softened butter. Stir until it begins to caramelize. When it starts to change color, pour in the freshly squeezed orange juice and the cut orange peel. Tip: if you do not want to flambé, you can add a splash of Cointreau in this step.

9. When the sauce starts to thicken, it is time to dip the crepes in the sauce. Soak each crepes in the sauce and then fold them twice.

Flambé Crepes Suzette

10. With the hood off, drizzle a splash of Cointreau over the crepes and flambé. Et voilà! You have just made delicious crepes suzette.

The original crepe suzette is flambéed, but if you don’t want to do this last step, that’s okay, the crepes will already be delicious! What you can do is to add the liqueur when you make the sauce.

If you like crepes, this other crepes recipe is ideal to make a delicious afternoon snack for your loved ones.