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Entertaining

Crêpes Suzette – to celebrate Shrove Tuesday

Today is pancake Tuesday, and I suddenly remembered that I made this ages ago and forgot to post it. What better time than Shrove Tuesday, the day pancakes are celebrated. Crêpes Suzette are simply thin pancakes drenched in an orange caramel sauce. One thing truly special about Crêpes Suzette is that you flambé the sauce. So, if your guests are adults, you can put on a show for them, by flambéing the sauce right in their presence.

For me, Crêpes Suzette will always hold a special memory. Very special indeed. My birthday month is smack in the middle of winter, so it has become a tradition I have started, to up sticks and go somewhere warm for a few days. 2012 was an especially difficult and challenging year, so I decided to pick a gorgeous location to de-stress and look forward to starting another year with many things to reminisce and be grateful for. That location was Malta, and it is a gorgeous hidden jewel in the Mediterranean. A tiny island, well two, brimming with so much energy, great weather, good food and beautiful beaches. The Blue Lagoon is one place not to be missed, with its gorgeous clear blue waters, you would think for a second you are somewhere in the Caribbean.

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A short hop away is the gorgeous island of Gozo filled with culture and interesting architecture. Malta is a melting pot of different cultures, because in its history, it had been conquered many times by different countries. So, travelling through its streets and villages you can see the Arabic influence, Italian – (Sicily is just a few hours away by boat, so the Italian influence is very present in their cuisine), French and British, which to me is the best part because English is the 2nd official language and they drive on the left hand side. The Maltese are such friendly and warm people. Tourism brings in most of their revenue, so they are very inviting, and because they all speak English, I felt very much at home.

I did some gastronomy research for my birthday dinner because I wanted to treat myself to a fancy meal. Barracuda restaurant in St Julian’s bay ranked very high on the list of reviews, so I booked a table. Walking in, I realised it was a great choice. It is a fabulous restaurant and apparently a popular celebrity hangout in Malta, with pictures of celebrities who had eaten there plastered all over the walls, including Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, Supermodels and Music stars. I don’t know how I got so lucky, birthday magic I guess because I got one of the best tables in the house. The building the restaurant is located overhangs slightly into the bay, so my table was at that strategic corner and with windows starting from the floor, and huge lights at the base of the building, I could see the bay and waves lapping at the shore right beneath my feet. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. So, as not disgrace myself, being a fancy restaurant. I left my camera in the hotel. I will not make that mistake next time. Here is the link to the restaurant’s website. http://barracudarestaurant.com/the-restaurant/

The starter and main course were fabulous, but I will not be talking about that today. The desert was the bees knees. I ordered Crêpes Suzette because the reviews I read said they make it extra special by putting a show for you right at your table. So, I thought why not, it’s my birthday, and boy was I glad I did. As soon as the plates for the main course were cleared, a waiter strolled in with a trolley, and I thought okay, wow me. He started with making the crêpes, then the show really began when he started to flambé the sauce. It was so riveting, even other diners stopped to watch. Flames rising from the pan almost as high as the waiter himself. It was quite a show. Luckily, I recorded it on my phone and I will be uploading it once I figure out how. When the crêpeswere served, I told the waiter the experience was a really good birthday present, and he said out loud, ah it is your birthday, Miss. Okay we will sing for you. I said thanks, but no need. He said no way, then he got his colleagues to sing Happy Birthday in their loud Italian-esque voice, and the other guests in the restaurant joined in. My eyes were brimming with tears by the end. It was so touching and nice, coming from total strangers. I also got a free complimentary glass of dessert wine. Best birthday experience ever. All because of Crêpes Suzette. As I made this in my kitchen, I was experiencing nostalgia in waves. If you are stuck for options for dessert, I mean, we’ve all had cake and ice cream a gazillion times, or to celebrate Shrove Tuesday today, you want to do something a bit adult, make Crêpes Suzette.

You will need

Pancake batter to make pancakes – my pancake batter is one of the best I’ve ever had. It is my mum’s recipe and has had great feedback from readers. Click HERE for the recipe.

For the Sauce

1/2 cup Orange juice

zest of 1 Orange

60g butter

1/3rd cup of granulated sugar

1/4 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau – orange liqueur, you can also use brandy

How To

1. Zest an Orange

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2. Add the sugar into a pan, and heat it up until a light brown caramel starts to form and lightly bubble up

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3. Turn down the heat, add the butter and stir until it dissolves.

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4. Add the orange juice and orange zest and stir. Keep the pan on low heat, to allow the sauce to thicken. This should take 5 – 7 minutes.

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5. At the end, you have a rich orange caramel sauce, which tastes absolutely wicked.

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allow it to cool down, it will thicken slightly

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6. Fold the pancakes into triangles and lay across a cold shallow or deep sauce pan.

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7. Pour over the golden orange caramel sauce, and allow the pancakes to soak through with the sauce.

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8. Pour the grand marnier or brandy into a pot and heat up for a few minutes. The show is about to begin, professional chef style. hehehehehe. Once the liqueur has warmed up, pour into the pan containing the Crepes and get out your lighter. Hold over a lit lighter just close to the layer of alcohol over the pancakes to flambé the sauce. This is truly a show for your guests, friends, family or even other half. 

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As soon as the flame hits the alcohol it will flambé.

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Very delightful to watch, just ensure that you are not peering into the pan i.e. leaning forward and looking into the pan. This was my very first time, and it turned out brilliantly.

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The flame will die out in about 30 – 45 seconds. Remember, to achieve a successful flambé, the pancakes have to be cool, same with the orange sauce. The only warmth you need is from the alcohol and it will ignite.

After which you plate the Crepes and serve. You can drizzle over any extra orange caramel sauce that you have.

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this is yummy sinful goodness. The tangy orange, plus sweet caramel and then flavour from the Grand Marnier is amazing.

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Golden delicious pancakes. Not to worry, any alcohol content is burned off from the flambé, leaving you with just the flavour.

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 depending on the number of guests you are expecting, you can make the crepes in advance and store in the fridge. You can also use high-end store-bought or bakery bought pancakes.

Fabulous idea for a romantic Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast too.

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see the orange caramel sauce oozing and glistening.

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Enjoy!!!!


18 Comments

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FILED UNDER: Entertaining
TAGGED WITH: crepes, crepes suzette
Dooney

About Dooney

Dooney is the blogger, recipe developer and photographer for Dooney's Kitchen. I spend my days trying to figure out creative ways to redefine Nigerian food, either by creating a new dish itself using ingredients in ways that have never been used before, or changing the approach to Nigerian cooking using kitchen gadgets.

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Comments

  1. Avatarchichi says

    March 4, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    Is the orange zest already in the pan with sugar?

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      March 4, 2014 at 11:41 pm

      No. YOu add the orange zest after the sugar and butter have formed into a caramel sauce

      Reply
  2. AvatarTLG says

    March 5, 2014 at 7:08 am

    Choii this babe you continue to blow my mind. I’m definitely going to try this. Well done love

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      March 5, 2014 at 3:47 pm

      Thank you TLG. I do hope you try it and leave feedback

      Reply
  3. AvatarCall me mummy Tola says

    March 5, 2014 at 7:44 am

    Funny! One of my work colleagues just sent me this exact same recipe yesterday to celebrate Pancake day too! Sadly didn’t get to try it out, but will most certainly be doing it over the weekend! Looks amazing!
    Looking forward to watching the birthday video too! X

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      March 5, 2014 at 3:43 pm

      Please do and let me know how it turns out. I am still trying to figure out how to upload the video. Once I get it, I will defintely post it.

      Reply
  4. AvatarIrene O. says

    March 5, 2014 at 10:41 am

    Honestly Dooney, this is wickedly tantalizing! I love pancakes. We eat it almost every Sunday evening, even hubby and sons take turn to make it. But this one takes it to the next level. I ready to “import” you into Geneva right now.

    I wish you a belated Happy Birthday as winter is almost over and your birthday would have passed. Malta is now on my list of places to visit. Thanks for sharing your story and the insights.

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      March 5, 2014 at 3:41 pm

      Wickedly tantalising are jsut the words to describe Crepes Suzette. Thank you irene. Geneva is on my list to visit in summer. If I do, I will definitely let you know

      Reply
  5. AvatarOluwatomi says

    March 5, 2014 at 12:14 pm

    Brilliant! I will def try this out soon….by the way, I made your pancake batter,it’s amazing.It tasted so unreal.(in a good way )infact I used just a little and put the remaining in the freezer(it’s still dre as I speak…loll,don’t judge me)just in case I don’t get the mixture well,next time I try it.

    And yeah about Malta,I have always played around the idea of going there…well Malta or Mauritius.But I love food a lot and you’ve recommended it,so whoop whoop! Don’t worry,u”ll be the first to know once holiday money is complete…hehehe!

    Thank you as always for all your wonderful recipes.

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      March 5, 2014 at 3:37 pm

      Please do. Lovely to hear the pancake batter turned out brilliantly. Please don’t let it stay in the freezer, so you get to enjoy your creation. Malta is a great location. Mauritius is also on my radar

      Reply
  6. Avatarinem says

    April 12, 2014 at 9:05 am

    For the orange juice is it freshly squeezed or orange bought? And for the batter can I use lemon juice substitute in place of the orange zest

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      April 12, 2014 at 9:49 am

      Either would work as long as it is real orange juice and not from concentrate. You will need the zest though i.e. the skin of the orange too, so it is best you just use freshly quizzed orange

      Reply
      • Avatarinem says

        April 14, 2014 at 5:19 pm

        Thanks for the early reply. You didn’t answer the lemon substitute for the zest as I don’t have yellow oranges. Then couldn’t find grand marnier but I saw a smirnoff orange flavoured vodka. Can I use that?

        Reply
        • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

          April 15, 2014 at 4:53 pm

          Lemon is quite harsh and not as sweet when compared to oranges but you can use it, but just use less of it, because of the sharp taste of lemon. Sorry for the late reply

          Reply
  7. Avatarinem says

    April 15, 2014 at 10:07 am

    thanks for the early reply.can i use smirnoff orange flavored in place of the grand marnier

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      April 15, 2014 at 4:29 pm

      Yes, you can. Lovely choice

      Reply
  8. Avatarinem says

    April 15, 2014 at 10:15 am

    have been trying to post this since last night…..#so annoying#..can i use smirnoff orange flavored in place of the grand marnier

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      April 15, 2014 at 4:29 pm

      Definitely you can Inem

      Reply

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