Crepes Suzette
Crepes Suzette

Check out my basic crepe recipe, followed by five of my favorite dessert crepe recipes. Bon appetit!

The eminently adaptable crepe seems to fit the bill to a tee. It's perfectly at home on the breakfast table, but it shines as a dinner entree and as a dessert. Years ago, when I first visited Paris, entree crepes made with everything from leftover chicken to lobster starred on restaurant menus, but nothing epitomized the city's flash quite like the pretty dessert crepes draped with fruits and nuts and burnished liqueurs.

These days, this signature French dessert is not as fussed over as it were years ago, but it still carries a certain elan. It's common to find them filled with lemon curd, whipped cream, mascarpone and cream cheese, as well as with a medley of fruits, nuts and preserves -- and notably with crumbled cookies such as the classic almond-flavored Macaroons. And as a final touch, the crepes are drizzled with a chocolate or caramel sauce, or with a fruit or preserves sauce laced with liqueurs, and topped with more whipped cream or with whatever suits the fancy.

Crepes are deceptively easy to make: flour, milk, butter and eggs are simply stirred together and allow to sit for an hour or even longer, so as to soften the batter for very tender crepes. A scant 1/4 cup of batter for each crepe is poured into a hot, buttered 6-inch round flat cast iron crepe pan (or a cast iron skillet or heavy duty no-stick pan), swirled and cooked until the crepe is just lightly browned. The crepe is flipped with a metal spatula and cooked a few seconds more on the other side.

Assembling crepes for serving is just as easy. Simply place a generous spoonful of filling on half of each crepe, fold over the other half, place the filled pancake in a large buttered skillet or baking pan, and ladle over the accompanying sauce. Or you fold over the little pancakes once, then fold again, to create lovely triangular shapes, which you then tuck into a skillet or baking pan.

Then heat the skillet of crepes for a few minutes, turning over with a spatula until they are hot and bubbly, or stick the pan of crepes under the broiler for a few minutes, watching closely, or heat in the oven. If company is at the table and you want to add a little panache, light a fire.

The late great Julia Child was a master of crepes, with a slug of cognac in hand and a bottle of orange liqueur nearby, a pan of orange infused crepes simmering in a chafing dish. Chirping away, she doused the crepes with the cognac, let the sauce bubble up for a few minutes and then ignited the sauce. Voila! Crepes Suzette in all their flaming glory.

Basic Crepes Recipe

    Prep Time: 30 minutes

    Cook time: 25 minutes

    Yield: Makes 14 to 15 crepes

Basic Crepes Recipe Ingredients

    1 cup all-purpose flour

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    3 large egg yolks, at room temperature

    3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, cooled

    1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups milk

    2 tablespoons rum or brandy

    2 or 3 tablespoons melted butter, more

Basic Crepes Recipe Instructions

    Sift together the flour and salt, and set aside.

    In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, melted butter, milk, and rum or brandy. Beat the mixture with a whisk until well blended.

    Stir in the flour and whisk briskly until the batter is perfectly smooth.

    Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest at least 30 minutes, but preferably longer, to allow the flour to soften, yielding a tender crepe. At the end of the rest, add a little more milk to the batter if needed and whisk again to smooth out. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream.

    When ready to cook the crepes, heat the crepe pan until quite hot, but not smoking. Then brush the pan lightly with a little melted butter.

    Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the hot pan, and quickly tilt the pan from side to side to evenly cover the bottom of the pan.

    Cook the crepe for about 1 minute.

    Using a metal spatula, run the spatula around the edge of the crepe to dislodge it from the pan. Lift up the edge of the crepe to see if it is light golden brown. If not, cook the crepe just a little longer.

    Then lift the crepe with the spatula and flip, using your free hand to grab the edge of the crepe. Cook about 20 to 25 seconds on the other side, or until just spotty brown.

    Transfer the crepe to a wire rack. Cook the remaining batter the same way, brushing the pan again lightly with butter after making a half-dozen or so crepes.

Editor's note: To freeze crepes, stack baked crepes with a square of waxed paper between them. Wrap the stack first in a sheet of wax paper, and then in foil and place in freezer. Thaw the crepes when ready to use.

Apple or Pear Crepes Recipe

Makes 6 servings

12 crepes (See basic recipe)

3 or 4 firm textured apples, such as Golden Delicious or Granny Smith, or 3 or 4 pears, such as the Bosc or Anjou variety

1/3 cup full flavored honey or maple syrup

2 tablespoons water

3 or 4 tablespoons orange liqueur or B&B liqueur

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Crystal sugar for sprinkling, such as Sugar in the Raw, if desired

Prepare the crepes according to recipe direction and set or side. Or, if frozen, remove from the freezer and set in a warm place to thaw.

Meanwhile rinse the apples or pears; peel, core and cut into 1/4 inch or so slices and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the honey or maple syrup, water and liqueur. Stir in the apples or pears. Place the pan on medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a gentle boil.

Immediately reduce the heat, and simmer the fruit, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the fruit is tender but not falling apart, and the syrup is thickened. Remove the pan of fruit from the heat until ready to serve.

At serving, lightly butter a large skillet. Fold the crepes into quarters and place in the skillet. Drizzle over the melted butter and a generous sprinkling of sugar.

Place the pan on medium heat and heat the crepes thoroughly, turning over with the spatula. Serve the crepes topped with the hot fruit sauce.

Crepes Suzette Recipe

This spirited Crepes Suzette recipe is a showstopper. Have on hand long stemmed matches for flaming the crepes, and pour the Cognac and orange liqueur for flaming into cups and then into the skillet of simmering crepes.

Makes 6 servings

12 crepes (See basis recipe)

1/2 cup sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 to 3 teaspoons grated orange peel

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier> or Cointreau

 

For flaming:

3 or 4 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup Cognac

1/3 cup orange liqueur

Vanilla Ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

 

Make the crepes according to recipe directions, fold in half and then in half again and set aside. In a small bowl combine the sugar, softened butter and orange peel, and mix until creamy and smooth. This can be done in advance, covered and stored in the refrigerator.

At serving, place the orange butter in an attractive wide skillet or chafing dish. Stir in the orange juice, mixing well. Set the pan on medium heat and bring the sauce just to a boil, stirring briskly. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes or until it lightly thicken, stirring occasionally.

Then, using long-handled tongs, slide the fold crepes into the pan, turning over in the liquid, and arranging in an attractive pattern, overlapping edges if necessary. Sprinkle the sugar over the crepes. Pour the Cognac and orange liqueur into separate cups, and then carefully pour the Cognac over the crepes, followed by the liqueur. Allow the liqueur to simmer for a few seconds.

Tilt the pan, and using a long handled match, ignite the liquid in the pan. If desired, for added drama, carefully spoon the flaming liquid over the crepes for a few seconds and serve the crepes immediately. Add a dollop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

 

Crepes Noel Recipe

Makes 6 servings

12 crepes (See basic recipe)

2 cup diced dried fruit such as apricots, prunes, raisins, cherries or cranberries, preferably a mixture of fruits

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, allspice or ginger

1 cup white wine or vermouth, or more if needed

1/2 cup honey, divided

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Vanilla Ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

 

Make the crepes according to recipe directions and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the dried fruit, cinnamon or allspice or ginger, and the wine or vermouth. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the honey, mixing well. Cook the fruit over low heat for about 15 minutes or until tender and the liquid is lightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

At serving, spoon about two tablespoons of the fruit filling on one half of each of the 12 crepes, dividing equally. Fold other the other half of the crepes. Butter a shallow baking dish and place the filled crepes in the dish, slightly overlapping in a single layer.

Combine the butter and the remaining 1/4 cup honey in a small sauce pan or skillet. Set the pan over medium low heat and heat the mixture just until the butter melts, stirring briskly. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and spoon the honey sauce over the crepes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set the pan of crepes in the hot over and bake for 15 minutes or until the crepes are hot.

Remove the crepe from the oven and serve immediately topped with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

Frangipane Crepes with Creamy Chocolate Glaze Recipe

12 crepes (See basic recipe)

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

4 almond macaroons, preferable a day or so old, finely crumbled or

1/4 cup finely ground blanched almonds

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ripe bananas

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Creamy Chocolate Glaze (see recipe below)

 

Make the crepes according to the basic recipe and set aside. Combine the milk and vanilla bean or extract in a small, heavy saucepan, and heat over low heat for about 5 minutes or just until the milk is bubbling. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, cover and set aside.

Combine the egg yolks, sugar and flour in a medium bowl, and whisk briskly for about two minutes, or until the mixture is thick and creamy and pale yellow. Slowly add the milk to the egg-yolk mixture, whisking until blended and smooth. Then return the egg-yolk mixture to the saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the sauce until it is just bubbly but not boiling, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.

Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the crumbled macaroons of ground almonds, and 2 tablespoon of the butter, mixing well. Pour the sauce into a bowl and cool to room temperature, and then cover and let sit at least an hour, but preferably several hours.

When ready to serve, spread the crepes with the Frangipane Cream, using a generous 2 tablespoons or so of the filling for each crepe. Slice the bananas, place on a plate and toss with the lemon juice. Then arrange the banana slices on one half of each crepe, dividing evenly, and fold over the other half.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the filled crepe in a buttered baking dish, slightly overlapping if needed, and drizzle over the remaining melted butter. Bake the crepes for about 15 minutes or until bubbly and hot. Drizzle with Creamy Chocolate Glaze if desired and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Chocolate Glaze Recipe

This rich and easy-to-make old-fashioned chocolate glaze, is perfect for drizzling over crepes. A tablespoon of brandy or cognac gives it a nice punch.

Makes a generous 1 cup

6 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream or undiluted evaporated milk

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon dark rum or brandy or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Cut or break the chocolate into 1/2-inch size pieces and set aside. In a heavy stainless steel saucepan, combine the cream or milk, corn syrup, butter, and brandy or rum or vanilla extract. Place on medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling but not quite boiling. Immediately move the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate pieces. Whisk the glaze briskly until smooth. Cool completely and then spread generously over the crepes.

 

Joyce White is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks (click here), including "Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season," and also a James Beard award-winning radio show host.

Available at Amazon.com:

Bite-Size Desserts: Creating Mini Sweet Treats, from Cupcakes and Cobblers to Custards and Cookies

 

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