Crêpes Suzette
Posted: January 10, 2009 at 1:38 am
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Crêpes
- 125g plain flour
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 300ml milk
- few knobs of unsalted butter
- finely grated zest of 2 oranges
Sauce
- 6 large oranges
- 50g demerara sugar
- 100ml Grand Marnier or Cointreau
- few knobs of unsalted butter
Method: How to make crêpes suzette
1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Tip in the beaten eggs, butter, milk and orange zest. Whisk the ingredients just enough to combine into a smooth batter, but try not to overwork the batter. Leave to rest while you prepare the oranges.
2. Finely pare the zest of two oranges using a vegetable peeler. Cut into fine julienne strips. Blanch these in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and pat dry (this will help to remove the bitterness from the zest). Squeeze the juice of three oranges and strain to remove the pips.
3. Peel and segment the remaining oranges. Working with one at a time, use a small sharp knife to slice off the top and bottom of the fruit. Standing it firmly on the chopping board, cut along the curved sides of the fruit to remove the remaining peel and pith. Holding the orange with one hand over a sieve set on top of a bowl, cut along each side of the membranes to release the segments. Let each segment fall into the sieve as you continue segmenting. Remove any membrane or pips left on the segments. Add the strained juice to the squeezed orange juice. Set aside.
4. Slowly heat the sugar in a heavy-based pan, stirring a little to help the sugar dissolve. Add the julienned orange zest and increase the heat. Simmer until the syrup forms a light caramel. Carefully add the Grand Marnier and stand back as it will spit. Tip the pan slightly to flambé the alcohol, if you wish. Pour in the orange juice and boil until reduced by half. Remove from heat, tip in the orange segments and leave to cool.
5. Heat a non-stick crêpe pan with a knob of butter over medium heat. Swirl the butter to evenly coat the pan, then add a small ladleful of batter and swirl again to evenly coat the base of the pan with a thin layer of batter. Cook for about 1½ minutes until the batter is set and golden brown underneath. Flip over to cook the other side for a minute. Transfer to a warm plate, keep wrapped in a tea towel and repeat with the rest of the batter.
6. For each individual serving, melt a little butter in a large frying pan and add a cooked crêpe. Reheat for a few seconds and fold into quarters. Repeat with another crêpe. Spoon over a portion of orange sauce, making sure to include some segments and julienned zest. Slide onto a warm plate and serve immediately. Repeat for the remaining servings.