I would like to invite you to come celebrate May 6 National Crepe Suzette Day #CrepeSuzetteDay which Charlie and I’ve never had. As for David I’m not sure if he has or not. Have you had Crepe Suzette and did you like them or not? In the meantime today is my best friend Richard and Bruce’s dads Birthday. Like my dad he is also in HEAVEN like my parents but I would like to ask you to wish him a Happy HEAVENLY Birthday please.
Om Nay 6th we celebrate National Crepe Suzette Day each year a day to savor a Crepe Suzzette with an interesting story behind this dish. According to one version, Crepe Suzette was a culinary treat accidentally created in 1895 by Henri Charpentier, then a 15-year-old assistant waiter working at Monte Carlo’s Cafe de Paris. Charpentier was cooking for Prince Edward of Wales and his distinguished guest who was a French noble dame named Suzette. Henri Charpentier inadvertently ruined a Sauce for the Crepes, but then realized he had made a tasty new dish. The Prince decided to name this dish “Crepe Suzette.”
Now, I have a question for you. Who can say no to a tasty dish placed in front of us? Crepe Suzette is a dish often listed on the menus of fancy restaurants but you can believe it or not, Crepe Suzette can be made with little effort. All you need is a perfect blend of ingredients in precise synergy to create Crepe Suzette.
Crepe Suzette is a French delicacy that consists of a crisp, thinly rolled, or folded Pancake and a sauce made from Caramelized Sugar and Butter, Orange Juice, and French liqueurs including Grand Marnier, and other flavored liqueurs including Triple Sec. Crepe Suzette was named after a beautiful French girl, Suzette as the story appears in the autobiography of Charpentier but different stories abound regarding its origin.
The “Larousse Gastronomique” an encyclopedia that exhaustively tells about French cuisine, including recipes for French food and techniques of cooking, however, doubts the authenticity of the story. There are claims that the name of the dish was chosen to honor French actress Suzanne Reichenberg who worked professionally under the name “Suzette.”
Although the origin of Crepe Suzette is not certain, its delicious flavor can surely win the hearts of both food lovers and picky eaters. In his autobiography titled “Life à la Henri,” Charpentier mentions that the dish has a taste that “would reform a cannibal into a civilized gentleman.”
NATIONAL CREPE SUZETTE DAY ACTIVITIES
- The best way to celebrate National Crepe Suzette Day is to prepare Crepes Suzette yourself. If you haven’t tried cooking Crepes, you might want to enroll in a baking or cooking class.
- Throw a small party and invite your family and close friends to sample the Crepes Suzette you have cooked or ordered from a restaurant.
- You may experiment with Crepes Suzette and mix in different but appropriate ingredients to create a new dish.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CREPES
- Crepes are a portion of immensely popular street food in France.
- Tn France, most people devote February 2nd to making Crepes; this day is called ‘le jour des crepes’ -‘day of crepes’,
- Crepes can be stuffed with fresh Berries, sliced Fruit, Jams, soft Cheese, Whipped Cream, Nuts, Coconut, Chocolate, fresh Herbs, and even sauteed Vegetables including Mushrooms, Onions, and Spinach.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL CREPE SUZETTE DAY
- Those of us who love to cook and eat may find this holiday a reason for making Crepes Suzette.
- We love delicious food and making Crepes Suzette is definitely a “good excuse” to satisfy our palate.
Recipe Crepe Suzette
Ingredients
Crêpes:
- ½ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
Orange Sauce:
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier®)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For Serving:
- ¼ cup orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier®)
- ½ cup vanilla ice cream, or to taste
Directions
- To make the crêpes, combine milk, water, eggs, sugar, and salt in a blender; blend on medium speed until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add flour and blend until smooth, about 5 more seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and orange zest; pulse until incorporated, about 3 (1-second) pulses. Cover blender and place in refrigerator; let rest for 20 minutes.
- Remove crêpe batter from fridge. Heat a small (6-inch) nonstick skillet or crêpe pan over medium. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the melted butter and swirl to coat skillet. Add 2 tablespoons batter and swirl to coat bottom of skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is lightly golden, and the top is still a little moist, about 1 minute. Swirl skillet to loosen crêpe and gently flip with a spatula and your fingers. Cook until golden, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining butter and batter.
- To make orange sauce, combine orange juice, white sugar, and orange zest in a small skillet over medium. Cook, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved and the liquid starts to bubble, 3 to 4 minutes. Gradually add the butter, piece by piece, stirring constantly, until it is melted and fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Let sauce come back up to a simmer and let simmer until slightly syrupy, stirring occasionally, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in orange liqueur and salt. Remove from the heat.
- Fold each crêpe in half, then half again to make a triangle. Dip the folded crêpes into the hot orange sauce. Place on a serving platter. Repeat with remaining crêpes, overlapping each crêpe so they are facing the same direction.
- To serve, pour orange liqueur into the skillet with the remaining orange sauce and place over medium-high. If it does not ignite automatically, use a long-stemmed lighter and carefully set the liqueur on fire. Let it burn for about 30 seconds. Pour the flaming liqueur over the crêpes on the platter and serve immediately with ice cream.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
