May 6th was National Crepe Suzette Day #CrepeSuzetteDayI don’t know about you but I don’t think I’ve ever had a Crepe Suzette. Before you ask what about David and Charlie. David might have but as far as I know Charlie hasn’t had Crepe Suzette. What about you?
Join me today and lets celebrate not only today but each year on May 6th. National Crepe Suzette Day is a day to savor a delicious dish with an interesting story behind it. 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 a French noble dame named Suzette. He inadvertently ruined a Sauce for the Crepes, but then realized he had made a tasty new dish. The Prince decided to name the dish “Crepe Suzette.”
Today the question is who can say no to a tasty dish in front of us? No, me. How about you? Crepe Suzette is a dish often listed on the menus of fancy restaurants. Believe it or not, National Crepe Suzette can be made with little effort. All you need is a perfect blend of ingredients in precise synergy.
Crepe Suzette is a French delicacy that consists of a crisp, thinly rolled, or folded Pancake and a Sauce made from Caramelized Sugar, Butter, Orange Juice, and French Liqueurs like Grand Marnier, and other flavored Liqueurs like Triple Sec.
The dish 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 question today is wouldn’t it be fun to have a dish named after you?
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.
Did you know there are claims that the name of the dish Crepe Suzette was chosen to honor French actress Suzanne Reichenberg. Suzanne Reichenberg worked professionally under the name “Suzette.” I’m sure people don’t care how Crepe Suzzette got there name as long as they get to eat them. Don’t you?
Although the origin of the dish 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.” Do you think so?
National Crepe Suzette Day Activities
- The best way to spend National Crepe Suzette Day is to cook Crepes Suzette yourself. If you haven’t tried cooking Crepes, you may enroll in a baking or cooking class. If your #Homeschooling your children take them with you because a cooking class would involve all kinds of lessons including math and reading.
- If you have the means and the opportunity throw a small party and invite your family and close friends to sample the Crepes Suzette you have cooked or ordered from a restaurant. Drinks don’t have to be expensive and you don’t have to serve White Wine and other Alcoholic beverages. You may serve Hot Coffee or Hot Chocolate, Fresh Juice, or Soft Drink or Milk.
- On National Crepe Suzette Day you may experiment with Crepes Suzette and mix in different but appropriate ingredients to create a new dish. Who knows you may invent an entirely new, sweet dessert!
Interesting Facts About Crepes
- Did you know Crepes are a portion of immensely popular Street Food in France?
- There’s a special day to make Crepes in France, which most people devote February 2nd to making Crepes. The day is called ‘le jour des crepes’ (which means ‘day of crepes’).
- Crepes, which are a blend of Eggs, Melted Butter, milk, and Wheat have two varieties: Sweet Crepes (made of White Wheat Flour in which a little Sugar and flavor is added to the batter) and savory/salty Galettes (made of Dark Buckwheat Flour and garnished with Say, Ham, and Cheese). I don’t know what you think but a Crepe made with Say, Ham and Cheese just sounds nasty to me.
- 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.
- Crepes with savory fillings are served hot, while sweet Crepes (served for breakfast or as a dessert) can be served hot or cold.
Why People Love National Crepe Suzette Day
I don’t know about you but I love it when people cook something and discover entirely new dishes. National Crepe Suzette Day is a day for Crepe making and someone somewhere may just make a new dish by mistake and for a lot of people that is exciting. Isn’t it?
For those of us who love to cook and eat may find National Crepe Suzette Day a reason for making Crepes Suzette. There’s a Chef in all of us and following the recipe for Crepe Suzette is worth the try. Isn’t it?
Crepes are a delicious treat and if your like my family you love delicious food. Making Crepes Suzette is definitely a “good excuse” to satisfy our palate.
Recipe for Crepe Suzette
Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Additional Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 6
Ingredients
Original recipe yields 6 servings
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 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.
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.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
