Orange Crêpes Suzette
- Sweet
- French
- Stovetop
Thin, tender skillet crêpes folded into a warm orange caramel with a splash of orange liqueur. A stovetop Chandeleur treat, bright with fresh orange zest and juice.
- Total
- 60 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 25 · Rest 15
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Whisking · Zesting
Instructions
-
Zest the 2 oranges into a small bowl, then juice them into a second bowl; you need about 120 ml juice. Set both aside.
~5 min
Zesting before juicing keeps the zest dry and fluffy, since juicing first softens the peel and makes it harder to grate cleanly.
Zesting Grate only the bright orange outer peel, pressing lightly and turning the fruit; the white pith beneath is bitter and should stay behind.
-
Melt 30 g of the butter and let it cool slightly. Whisk the 2 eggs with 20 g of the sugar and the 0.25 tsp salt in a mixing bowl until smooth.
~4 min
Cooling the melted butter slightly stops it from cooking the eggs, and whisking the sugar and salt in first dissolves them evenly before the flour goes in.
Whisking Whisk in a steady circular motion, scraping the sides, until the batter is completely smooth; lumps left now will stay lumpy after resting.
-
Whisk the 150 g flour into the egg mixture, then pour in the 300 ml milk and the melted butter, whisking to a smooth, thin batter the texture of single cream. Let it stand 15 minutes.
~15 min
Resting lets the flour fully hydrate and the gluten relax, so the crêpes turn tender rather than rubbery and tear less in the pan.
Let the batter rest the full 15 minutes: the flour hydrates and the crêpes turn tender instead of rubbery.
Whisking Whisk in a steady circular motion, scraping the sides, until the batter is completely smooth; lumps left now will stay lumpy after resting.
-
Heat the non-stick frying pan over medium heat and grease lightly with a little of the remaining butter. Pour in about 60 ml batter, swirl to coat thinly, and cook until the edges lift and the underside is golden, about 1 minute. Flip and cook 30 seconds more. Repeat with the remaining batter to make about 8 crêpes, stacking them on a plate.
~1 min
Swirling the batter immediately while the pan is hot spreads it thin before it sets, which is what gives crêpes their delicate, lacy texture.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the crêpes cook, warm the remaining 40 g butter, the remaining 50 g sugar, the orange juice and half the zest in the small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the 40 ml orange liqueur off the heat.
~5 min
Simmering concentrates the juice into a syrupy caramel that clings to the crêpes, and adding the liqueur off the heat preserves its aroma.
Add the orange liqueur off the heat so its aroma stays bright rather than cooking off flat.
-
Fold each crêpe into quarters and slide them into the warm sauce, turning gently to coat. Warm through for 2 minutes, scatter the remaining zest over the top and serve straight from the pan.
~2 min
