What’s more romantic than this classic French dessert for your valentine? The sweet, vanilla-scented crepes are folded into triangles and then quickly bathed in an orange-flavored sauce. I usually double or even triple this recipe because I like to have extra crepes available for last-minute quick desserts. If you are lucky enough to have a market that sells already cooked crepes, this dessert will take you literally a few minutes to prepare.
Most recipes for Crepes Suzettes call for a chafing dish and igniting the sauce. This recipe requires neither, which is why I call it Crepes Sucrees. Believe me, it’s every bit as good without the flaming drama. Don’t worry if you need a few practice runs to perfect your crepes. It sometimes takes a few tries.
Here are a few tips for cooking crepes:
• If the batter is too thick, add a tablespoon or so of water or milk.
• If the batter is too thin, add a tablespoon of flour and whisk until blended in.
• If there are holes in the crepes, use more batter to completely cover the bottom of the pan.
• If the edges cook before the middle, reduce the temperature to allow even cooking.
CREPES SUCRÉES
Serves 2
For the crepes:
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the dessert:
4 crepes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
Rind of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1 pint French vanilla ice cream
Directions:
In a blender, combine all the crepe ingredients. Cover and blend. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to one day, covered.
Lightly butter a nonstick 9-inch pan over medium heat. Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the pan and cook for about a minute or until the crepe begins to bubble and set. Flip over with a spatula and cook another 10 seconds. Place on a paper towel. Repeat with the rest of the batter. You should have about four to five crepes. (If you are making a double or triple batch, place a piece of wax paper between each crepe to store. Cover and refrigerate and bring to room temperature before using.)
Fold each of the crepes over once, and then again, to make a triangle form.
Place the butter and sugar and orange rind in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat and cook until the butter and sugar have melted and the mixture is bubbling, about one to two minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the orange liqueur to the pan. Stir to combine and return to the heat for a minute. Place the four crepe triangles in the pan and heat for about one minute on each side, turning with tongs to evenly coat the crepes. Place two crepes on each dessert plate and spoon some sauce over the crepes. Serve with a scoop of ice cream.