History of Crepes Suzette from What's Cooking America?
Probably the most famous crepe dish in the world. In a restaurant, a crepe suzette is often prepared in a chafing dish in full view of the guests. They are served hot with a sauce of sugar, orange juice, and liqueur (usually Grand Marnier). Brandy is poured over the crepes and then lit. The dish was created out of a mistake made by a fourteen year-old assistant waiter Henri Carpentier (1880-1961) in 1895 at the Maitre at Monte Carlo's Café de Paris. He was preparing a dessert for the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII (1841-1910) of England.
According to Henri Charpentier, in own words from Life A La Henri – Being The Memories of Henri Charpentier:
“It was
quite by accident as I worked in front of a chafing dish that the
cordials caught fire. I thought I was ruined. The Prince and his friends
were waiting. How could I begin all over? I tasted it. It was, I
thought, the most delicious melody of sweet flavors I had every tasted.
I still think so. That accident of the flame was precisely what was
needed to bring all those various instruments into one harmony of taste
. . . He ate the pancakes with a fork; but he used a spoon to capture
the remaining syrup. He asked me the name of that which he had eaten
with so much relish. I told him it was to be called Crepes Princesse. He
recognized that the pancake controlled the gender and that this was a
compliment designed for him; but he protested with mock ferocity that
there was a lady present. She was alert and rose to her feet and holding
her little shirt wide with her hands she made him a curtsey. ‘Will you,’
said His Majesty, ‘change Crepes Princesse to Crepes Suzette?’ Thus was
born and baptized this confection, one taste of which, I really believe,
would reform a cannibal into a civilized gentleman. The next day I
received a present from the Prince, a jeweled ring, a panama hat and a cane.”
CHOCOLATE CREPES SUZETTE
For the Crepes:
Ingredients
2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 1/2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
2 ounces dark chocolate, melted
1-1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup DARK cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Melt butter and chocolate together, mixing to combine and smooth out chocolate.
In large bowl, combine milk and eggs.
In separate, smaller bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Whisk together milk and eggs with dry ingredients, continue whisking as you incorporate butter and chocolate mixture.
Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, or overnight. Be sure to re-whisk batter before you cook crepes.
To Cook Crepes:
Butter hot skillet (small or medium, not large) or crepe pan, then wipe out excess butter with paper towel so it's dry-ish. Pour in small amount of crepe batter and tilt pan as needed so batter spreads and covers bottom of pan. As edges begin to turn up, flip crepe with a spatula for few seconds to cook other side.
SAUCE & FINAL PREPARATION
Ingredients
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Juice of 6 oranges (with zest from one)
3 Tbsp Cointreau
3 Tbsp Cognac
12 dark chocolate crepes
Grated chocolate for garnish
Directions
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in sugar, zest, juice, and liqueur. Stirring constantly, reduce sauce to 2/3 cup. Carefully add each cooked crepe to pan—one at a time—and coat with sauce.
Fold each crepe into quarters, and arrange on plate (3 per plate if you're serving four)
Sprinkle crepes with orange zest and grated chocolate chocolate.
Only if you're really careful: Flambé sauce: reserve two tablespoons and add three more tablespoons of Cognac. Stir together and remove the pan from heat. Ignite with match and pour flaming sauce over crepes.
