Recipe: How to make Crepes Suzette

MANILA, Philippines — Crepes Suzette is a French dessert that is popular in fine dining restaurants and hotels worldwide, including the Philippines.

It is also a showpiece dessert to make because it involves flambéing or igniting of liqueur, Grand Marnier or rum to give the crepe a splash of alcohol with a slightly burnt taste to go with the caramelized sugar and butter. It is advised to be a little careful when igniting the rum.

Learn how to make this impressive high-end dessert at home with this Crepes Suzette recipe from Chef Ria Anne Aplasca.

Crepes Suzette

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 cups flour

3 tbsps. sugar

4 eggs

1-3/4 cups milk

2-3 tbsps. Grand Marnier

2 tbsps. melted butter

6 tbsps. butter for cooking crepes

1/2 cup sugar

zest from 1/2 pc. lemon

1 pc. large orange, juice and zest grated

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup Orange Liqueur, or less

2 tbsps. dark rum

PROCEDURE:

1. Make crepe batter by combining flour, sugar, eggs, milk, Grand Marnier and 2 tbsps. melted butter. Whisk together until smooth and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Make 4 to 5 crepes with the chilled batter. Pour a ladleful of the batter into a hot nonstick pan. Swirl it so the batter covers the entire surface of the pan. Pour out excess batter, then cook the crepes until the edges leave the sides. Do the same with the remaining batter.

3. Rub half of the sugar with the lemon zest to pick up the oils. Rub the other half of the sugar with the orange zest, then squeeze the oranges and strain the juice. Set aside the lemon for another purpose. Measure 3/4 cup of orange juice and add sugar. Set aside.

4. Cream 1/2 cup butter with 1 tbsp. sugar until light and smooth. Cover and refrigerate.

5. Combine Grand Marnier and rum in a small cruet (and bring it with a chafing dish and the remaining ingredients to the table).

6. In a 12-inch-diameter flambé pan, melt creamed butter, add the orange juice mixture and reduce to 1/2 cup. Lay a single crepe in the sauce, turn over right away, immediately fold into a wedge and push to the side of the pan. Repeat with the other crepes and arrange them in overlapping rows.

7. Carefully pour the liqueurs into the sauce and ignite. Slide the pan gently back and forth until the flames subside. Spoon the sauce over the crepes and serve at once.

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