Serves12 crêpes, each 26cm in diameter
Preparation time 10 minutes, plus 2 hours resting time
Cooking time 10 minutes
Auguste Escoffier was the king of chefs and chef of kings. It’s only fitting then that we include his seminal recipe for crêpe Suzette, which – like their delectable orange liqueur-based sauce – have blazed a trail in the world of fine dining.
Ingredients
For the batter
- 500g (1lb 1½ oz) whole milk
- 200g (7oz) type 45 (plain) flour
- 200g (7oz) eggs (4 small ones)
- 60g (2oz) icing sugar
- 60g (2oz) water
- 3g (½ tsp) salt
- 20g (¾ oz) melted butter
- 30g (1oz) Grand Marnier or Curaçao
- The zest of 3 mandarins or one large orange
For the mandarin-flavoured butter
- 100g (3½ oz) softened butter
- 50g (1¾ oz) icing sugar
- The zest of 3 mandarins or one large orange
- 1 tbsp Grand Marnier or Curaçao
- 1 tbsp mandarin or orange juice
To serve
- A few drops of Grand Marnier or Curaçao
- The zest of one orange or two mandarin oranges
Directions
1Prepare the batter using a blender, or hand mixer.
2Pour all the batter ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together.
3When the batter is smooth, cover with cling film. Let the batter rest for two hours at room temperature.
4Prepare the mandarin-flavoured butter: mix 100g (3½ oz) softened butter with 50g (1¾ oz) sugar and the zest of 3 mandarins (or one large orange).
5Add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier and a tablespoon of mandarin (or orange) juice and mix well.
6Cook the crêpes in a frying pan.
7Spread the mandarin butter all over one side of each crêpe. Fold each in four and spread the mandarin butter on both sides.
8Heat the crêpes again slowly in a pan, until the butter bubbles and the crêpes slightly caramelise.
9Add a few drops of Grand Marnier or Curaçao and the zest of one orange or two mandarins. Serve right away.
Extracted from Taste of France Magazine.
Originally from A Guide to Modern Cookery, by Auguste Escoffier
