Crêpes Suzette aux Truffes
A Truffle a Day — Day 18
Story has it that this dish was created entirely by chance by fourteen-year-old assistant waiter Henri Charpentier, in 1895, who accidentally caught the dessert on fire as he was serving the Prince of Wales, future King Edward VII of England. The prince enjoyed it so much that he requested it be named after one of his dining companions, a young French girl called Suzette. Be that as it may, it is still one of the most delicious desserts ever, taken to new heights by the addition of truffle!
Ingredients:
FOR THE BATTER
1½ cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1½ cups milk
½ cup cold water or beer
²∕ ³ stick melted sweet butter
Grating of truffle
FOR THE SAUCE
2 sticks (1 cup) softened sweet butter
8 tablespoons sugar
Grated or zested rind of 2 oranges
Juice of 1 orange
²∕ ³ cup Grand Marnier
Grating of truffle
Preparation:
Whisk together all ingredients for the batter and set aside. If possible, mix up the night before and let sit in the refrigerator so the gluten has a chance to rest (or else mix up right after lunch for an evening meal). Blend together ingredients for the sauce, until smooth. Cook the crêpes one by one, making them as thin as possible, and stack flat on a plate.
Warm dessert plates in advance. Heat the sauce ingredients (minus the liqueur) in a large sauté pan until they bubble and thicken into a syrup. One by one, put the crêpes into the pan until they are coated with the sauce. Fold in fourths and place on the edge of the pan as you continue with the rest of the crêpes. When all are ready, add Grand Marnier to the pan (off the heat so that it won’t flame in your face!) and bring to a bubble.
To serve, place crêpes on pre-warmed plates. Dip the edge of the sauce pan in flame (if using a gas stove) or light with a long-stemmed match and pour sauce, still flaming, on each plate. Alternatively, pour heated sauce on each plate and immediately light with a match. Make sure the sauce is hot enough and the alcohol level high enough to sustain a flame. Finish off with a fresh grating of truffle.
A Truffle a Day is a series of one-a-day truffle recipes, excerpted from the soon-to-be-released Cooking with Truffles: A Chef’s Guide. All recipes can be prepared with or without truffles, depending on the voluptuousness of your pantry.
