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Everyone likes to set things on fire, so don’t lie. The good news is that in cooking, pyromania is often sanctioned. There exist a plethora of dishes that necessitate lighting a big alcohol fire, or flambéing. Our personal favorite is Crêpes Suzette.
The histories of Crêpes Suzette are at times conflicting, but it is generally accepted that Henri Carpentier made them first. Sometime before the turn of the century (about the same time that the brilliant novella and subsequent film Gigi was set), Carpentier--then a teenager--first prepared the dish for King Edward VII, then the Prince of Wales, and his lady friend, Suzette.
Despite some fanfare thanks to the flambéing, Crêpes Suzette is actually a quite simple dessert. Broken down into its components, it consists of sweet crêpes, orangy buttery sauce and Grand Marnier, flambéed of course. When you flambé, most of the actual alcohol burns off, but what stays behind is a delicious sauce that carries a pleasantly boozy hint of the past.
Flambéing is really not something to fear; just keep your face away from the pan and you’ll be fine. But don’t be stupid. For example: our original plan for yielding the above photo went something like: pour in booze (right hand), light with match (left hand), take photo...(left foot?). We relayed this plan to a friend, whose quite appropriate response was, “Rachael, you’re a lunatic. I’m coming over now.” Many thanks to Sarah for igniting the pictured crêpes and saving our eyebrows and eyelashes.
A recipe for Crêpes Suzette is after the break. Enjoy.
Photo, and crêpes, by Rachael Coyle
Crepes Suzette
Serves 2
4 cooked sweet crepes
juice of one orange
zest of half an orange
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or orange liqueur (any brandy or cognac works well too)
Fold your crepes in quarters and set aside. In your crepe pan, add orange juice, zest and sugar; cook on medium heat until the sugar dissolves and it starts to get syrup-y. Whisk in the butter and turn the heat to high. Arrange the folded crepes in the pan and cook for about one minute, then flip. If the sauce starts to get too sparse or sticky, squeeze in some more orange juice. Once the crepes are heated through, you’re ready to flambee!
Measure out the Grand Marnier into a separate container (you don’t want to pour directly from the bottle, the flame can jump up into the bottle and make it explode--bad). Pour the Grand Marnier over the crepes. If you are using a gas stove, tip the pan slightly to ignite the alcohol with the gas flame. If you are using an electric stove, use a match or lighter (preferably long-handled) to ignite the alcohol. Stand back from the pan when you flambé, the flames will ignite quickly and come up to a foot or so out of the pan. Also, if you feel comfortable, perform this in front or your guests. They’ll love it.
Once the flames subside, serve the crepes immediately, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you like.
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I am a BIG fan of Crêpe Suzettes. My best memory eating one: I was in Port-au-Prince with two new friends, wrapped head to toe in bandages and being treated to dinner at a shee-shee French restaurant run by an old French, expat couple. After a bottle of bordeaux and some filet and a little discrete footsie with my cute dining partner... the grand marnier-doused crêpe brought the meal to a perfect close. Thank you for bringing these memories back with your scintillating food-writing.