A nebulous origin
The idea of crêpes Suzette is attributed to Auguste Escoffier, but a chef from Nice, Henri Charpentier, took over the recipe. He tells how it happened in a book. That day the Prince of Wales is in Monaco. He’s waiting for the pancakes he loves to eat for breakfast. Except that that day, carpenter is not awake. And serve the heir to the crown of England. Certainly it impresses. The hand is shaking. And wham ! Charpentier spills the prince’s liqueur wine on the plate containing the pancake. Seeing what is happening, the carpenter decides to go free. He sets fire to the liquor which ignites and he immediately puts out the fire by pouring sugar over it in a big stream. The Prince of Wales, English, therefore phlegmatic, acts as if he had seen nothing. He tastes. He finds it very good. ” Is it a new recipe? ” he asks ? and carpenter, puffed up to reply ” Yes and I called it the Princess pancake “. Charpentier says that the Prince would have suggested giving him the name of his neighbour, a certain Suzanne.
Recipe :
- To make a crêpe Suzette, mix 250 g of flour, 70 g of white sugar and 6 eggs in a bowl.
- Then gradually you add ½ liter of whole milk, 60 grams of melted butter, 30 ml of Grand Marnier or rum, and the zest of an orange.
- You let it rest for at least 4 hours. For the Suzette sauce that will coat your pancake, you make a light brown caramel with 3 spoons of powdered sugar and 50 grams of butter.
- You deglaze with the juice of a squeezed orange and reduce. You mix a little cornstarch, a quarter of a teaspoon, in water which you then add to the sauce, you put a large tablespoon of rum, or grand marnier, or even curaçao and you stir.
- When ready to serve, you cook your pancakes, pass them in the sauce and fold them in 4. And if you want to show off, you add a little of this sauce to the pancake and flambé it.
French cuisine is a few legendary recipes like the crêpe suzette, but above all it’s a lot of heart.