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Crepes Suzette In restaurants Crepes Suzette are made right at the table. Lumps of sugar are rubbed over oranges to absorb the essential oil in the skins, then cooked with butter and orange juice almost to a caramel. The crepes are dipped in the mixture to coat them on each side, then sprinkled with Cognac and Grand Marnier and flamed. Made this way, however, only 3 or 4 crepes can be flambéed at a time, so it is a less than ideal method for serving a whole family at home. We use an alternate method. The orange butter is excellent by itself spread on cake layers as an orange butter cream. 1 dozen crepes (see recipe) Suzette Butter 3/4 stick butter 1/4 cup sugar Peel of 1 orange removed with a vegetable peeler Juice of 1 orange (1/3 to 1/2 cup) 2 tablespoons sugar To Flame 1/2 cup Cognac or brandy 1/4 cup Grand Marnier or homemade orange liqueur Place the butter, sugar, and orange peel in the bowl of a food processor and process until the orange peels are no longer visible and the whole mixture is a uniform orange color. Add the juice slowly with the machine on so that the butter absorbs it. Spread approximately 1 tablespoon of the orange butter on each crepe, and fold the crepes in fourths. Butter generously a large ovenproof platter (ours is 17 inches long by 10 inches wide) and sprinkle it with sugar. Arrange one dozen stuffed crepes on it, overlapping slightly, but leave a space at the end of the platter where the sauce can accumulate. Sprinkle the crepes with 2 tablespoons of sugar and place them under the broiler, approximately in the middle of the oven if your broiler is in the same unit, for about 2 to 3 minutes. The surface of the crepes will caramelize. Pour 1/2 Cup of Cognac or brandy and 1/4 cup Grand Marnier or homemade orange liqueur on the very hot crepes and ignite. (See also recipe on flambéing.) Bring the platter to the table and incline it slightly so that the flaming juices gather in the space you left. Spoon up the liquid and pour it back, still flaming, onto the crepes. When the flame subsides, serve two crepes per person with some of the sauce. Homemade Orange Liquer: Grand Marnier, a liqueur made of Cognac and a distillate of oranges, is very expensive, and so we offer you an alternative: homemade orange liqueur. Peel 7 to 8 oranges with a vegetable peeler. Place the skin in a bottle and cover it with 3 cups of brandy. Add 2 tablespoons sugar. Shake the bottle a few times to dissolve the sugar. Then let it stand for approximately 3 weeks to 1 month and you will have a very good orange brandy. 6 SERVINGS Return to Top | Back to Recipes |
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