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Crepes Suzette for Two

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Yield

Serves 2

Crepes Suzette for Two

Ingredients

Crêpes

1 large egg ½ cups whole milk (see note above)3 tablespoons water ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 ½ ounces/71 grams)2 teaspoons Cognac 1 tablespoon sugar Pinch table salt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Orange Sauce

1 tablespoon Cognac plus 1 additional teaspoon2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces1 tablespoon sugar plus 1 additional teaspoon1 teaspoon grated orange zest ⅓ cup fresh orange juice plus 1 additional tablespoon¾ teaspoon orange liqueur, preferably triple sec

Before You Begin

It takes a few crêpes to get the heat of the pan right; your first two or three will almost inevitably be unusable. (To allow for practice, the recipe yields about 6 crepes; only 4 are needed for the dish.) A dry measuring cup with a 1/4-cup capacity is useful for portioning the batter. Tasters had a slight preference for crêpes made with whole milk, but low-fat or skim milk can also be used.

Instructions

    for the crêpes

  1. Combine egg, milk, water, flour, cognac, sugar, salt, and melted butter in blender until smooth batter forms, about 10 seconds. Transfer batter to medium bowl.
  2. Using pastry brush, brush bottom and sides of 10-inch nonstick skillet very lightly with melted butter; heat skillet over medium heat. When butter stops sizzling, tilt pan slightly to right and begin pouring in scant 1/4 cup batter. Continue to pour batter in slow, steady stream, rotating wrist and twirling pan slowly counterclockwise until pan bottom is covered with even layer of batter. Cook until crêpe starts to lose opaqueness and turns spotty light golden brown on bottom, loosening crêpe from side of pan with rubber spatula, 30 seconds to 1 minute. To flip crêpe, loosen edge with rubber spatula and, with fingertips on top side, slide spatula under crêpe and flip. Cook until dry on second side, about 20 seconds.
  3. Place cooked crêpe on plate and repeat cooking process with remaining batter, brushing pan very lightly with butter before making each crêpe. As they are done, stack crêpes on plate (you will need 4 crêpes). (Crêpes can be double-wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 3 days. If crêpes have been refrigerated, bring them to room temperature before making sauce.)
  4. for the orange sauce

  5. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Add 1 tablespoon cognac to broilersafe 10-inch skillet; set over medium heat just until vapors begin to rise from cognac, about 5 seconds. Remove pan from heat and wave lit chimney match over cognac until it ignites; shake pan until flames subside. (Cognac should burn for about 15 seconds; re-ignite if flame dies too soon.)
  6. Add butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 cup orange juice to cognac; simmer briskly over high heat, whisking occasionally, until many large bubbles appear and mixture reduces to thick syrup, 3 to 5 minutes. (You should have just under 1/4 cup sauce.) Transfer sauce to small bowl; do not wash skillet. Stir remaining orange juice, zest, liqueur, and remaining cognac into sauce. Cover to keep warm.
  7. to assemble

  8. Fold each crêpe in half, then in half again to form wedge shape. Arrange folded crêpes in now-empty skillet, with wedge points facing inward, so the four points meet in the middle. Sprinkle crêpes evenly with remaining sugar. Place skillet in oven and broil until sugar caramelizes and crêpes turn spotty brown, about 3-5 minutes. (Watch crêpes constantly to prevent scorching; turn pan as necessary.) Remove pan from oven and pour half of sauce over crêpes, leaving some areas unsauced. Transfer crêpes to individual serving dishes and serve immediately, passing extra sauce separately.
Crepes Suzette for Two

Crepes Suzette for Two

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 2

Ingredients

Crêpes

1 large egg
½ cups whole milk (see note above)
3 tablespoons water
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 ½ ounces/71 grams)
2 teaspoons Cognac
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch table salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Orange Sauce

1 tablespoon Cognac plus 1 additional teaspoon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 tablespoon sugar plus 1 additional teaspoon
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
⅓ cup fresh orange juice plus 1 additional tablespoon
¾ teaspoon orange liqueur, preferably triple sec

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Crêpes

1 large egg
½ cups whole milk (see note above)
3 tablespoons water
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 ½ ounces/71 grams)
2 teaspoons Cognac
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch table salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Orange Sauce

1 tablespoon Cognac plus 1 additional teaspoon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 tablespoon sugar plus 1 additional teaspoon
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
⅓ cup fresh orange juice plus 1 additional tablespoon
¾ teaspoon orange liqueur, preferably triple sec

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Crêpes

1 large egg
½ cups whole milk (see note above)
3 tablespoons water
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 ½ ounces/71 grams)
2 teaspoons Cognac
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch table salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Orange Sauce

1 tablespoon Cognac plus 1 additional teaspoon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 tablespoon sugar plus 1 additional teaspoon
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
⅓ cup fresh orange juice plus 1 additional tablespoon
¾ teaspoon orange liqueur, preferably triple sec

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

We developed a crêpes suzette recipe that reversed the traditional order of things, flambéing the alcohol alone in the skillet, which delivered great flavor along with predictable flames, and then building the sauce after the flames had died. Before saucing, we sprinkled our crêpes with sugar and broiled them, which formed a crunchy, sugary barrier that prevented them from becoming soggy in the sauce.

Before You Begin

It takes a few crêpes to get the heat of the pan right; your first two or three will almost inevitably be unusable. (To allow for practice, the recipe yields about 6 crepes; only 4 are needed for the dish.) A dry measuring cup with a 1/4-cup capacity is useful for portioning the batter. Tasters had a slight preference for crêpes made with whole milk, but low-fat or skim milk can also be used.

Instructions

    for the crêpes

  1. Combine egg, milk, water, flour, cognac, sugar, salt, and melted butter in blender until smooth batter forms, about 10 seconds. Transfer batter to medium bowl.
  2. Using pastry brush, brush bottom and sides of 10-inch nonstick skillet very lightly with melted butter; heat skillet over medium heat. When butter stops sizzling, tilt pan slightly to right and begin pouring in scant 1/4 cup batter. Continue to pour batter in slow, steady stream, rotating wrist and twirling pan slowly counterclockwise until pan bottom is covered with even layer of batter. Cook until crêpe starts to lose opaqueness and turns spotty light golden brown on bottom, loosening crêpe from side of pan with rubber spatula, 30 seconds to 1 minute. To flip crêpe, loosen edge with rubber spatula and, with fingertips on top side, slide spatula under crêpe and flip. Cook until dry on second side, about 20 seconds.
  3. Place cooked crêpe on plate and repeat cooking process with remaining batter, brushing pan very lightly with butter before making each crêpe. As they are done, stack crêpes on plate (you will need 4 crêpes). (Crêpes can be double-wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 3 days. If crêpes have been refrigerated, bring them to room temperature before making sauce.)
  4. for the orange sauce

  5. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Add 1 tablespoon cognac to broilersafe 10-inch skillet; set over medium heat just until vapors begin to rise from cognac, about 5 seconds. Remove pan from heat and wave lit chimney match over cognac until it ignites; shake pan until flames subside. (Cognac should burn for about 15 seconds; re-ignite if flame dies too soon.)
  6. Add butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 cup orange juice to cognac; simmer briskly over high heat, whisking occasionally, until many large bubbles appear and mixture reduces to thick syrup, 3 to 5 minutes. (You should have just under 1/4 cup sauce.) Transfer sauce to small bowl; do not wash skillet. Stir remaining orange juice, zest, liqueur, and remaining cognac into sauce. Cover to keep warm.
  7. to assemble

  8. Fold each crêpe in half, then in half again to form wedge shape. Arrange folded crêpes in now-empty skillet, with wedge points facing inward, so the four points meet in the middle. Sprinkle crêpes evenly with remaining sugar. Place skillet in oven and broil until sugar caramelizes and crêpes turn spotty brown, about 3-5 minutes. (Watch crêpes constantly to prevent scorching; turn pan as necessary.) Remove pan from oven and pour half of sauce over crêpes, leaving some areas unsauced. Transfer crêpes to individual serving dishes and serve immediately, passing extra sauce separately.

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