Pâte à crêpes (Piège, 18 × 20cm)
- 240 g flour
- 24 g sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 eggs
- 600 g whole milk
- 12 g neutral oil
- 60 g beurre noisette, cooled
- optional: fleur d'oranger or Grand Marnier
Sauce Suzette
- 120 g butter
- 90 g sugar
- 1 orange, zest
- 150 ml fresh orange juice (~3 oranges)
- juice of ½ lemon
To finish
- 3–4 tbsp Grand Marnier (for flambéing)
The crêpe batter must rest at least 30 minutes — the flour absorbs the liquid and the batter becomes smooth and even. The beurre noisette replaces plain butter and adds the characteristic nutty richness. The Suzette sauce is a caramelised orange butter — not a sweet syrup. It should taste of orange zest and butter, with a slight bitter edge.
Method
Crêpe batter
- Whisk flour, sugar, and salt. Make a well, add eggs, and begin incorporating the flour from the centre out.
- Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth. Add oil and beurre noisette (cooled to ~40°C). Mix well.
- Rest at least 30 min at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge. The batter should be thin — close to the consistency of cream.
To avoid lumps: add the milk progressively rather than all at once. A blender gives the most even result.
Crêpes
- Heat a 20cm non-stick pan over medium heat. Lightly butter.
- Pour a small ladleful of batter, swirl immediately to coat the pan in a thin, even layer.
- Cook until the edges lift and look dry (~1 min). Flip and cook 20–30 seconds. Stack on a plate — they will not stick.
Sauce Suzette
- In a wide pan, melt butter and sugar together over medium heat. Let it caramelise lightly — it should smell nutty and turn a pale amber.
- Add orange zest. Pour in orange juice and lemon juice. The mixture will sputter — stir to combine. Simmer 2–3 min until slightly thickened and glossy.
- Add crêpes one by one, folded in quarters, into the sauce. Coat well. Arrange in the pan.
- To flambé: warm the Grand Marnier slightly, pour over the crêpes, and ignite carefully. Tip the pan to spread the flame, let it burn out.
The flame burns off the alcohol but leaves the flavour. Do not skip it — the sauce tastes sharper and less rounded without the flambé.
Background
The beurre noisette in the batter is what distinguishes Piège's version from a neutral crêpe batter. Plain melted butter adds fat; beurre noisette adds fat plus toasted-milk-solid flavour. Combined with orange in the Suzette sauce, the result is richer and more complex than a standard crêpe.
The batter rest (repos) allows the gluten strands to relax after mixing — a freshly mixed batter is elastic and tears when swirled in the pan. After resting, the batter flows evenly and produces a thinner, more uniform crêpe. The same principle as resting pâte brisée or pasta dough.
Flambéing serves a purpose beyond theatre. The alcohol burnoff removes harshness and allows the citrus and caramel flavours to come forward. The heat also slightly reduces and concentrates the sauce at the moment of service. Warm the spirit before pouring — cold Grand Marnier doesn't ignite reliably.
Mistakes I've Made
- Not resting the batter. Elastic batter tears when swirled and produces thick, uneven crêpes.
- Pan too hot. The batter sets before it spreads — thick edges, thin centre. Medium heat is correct.
- Sauce too sweet. The caramelisation should be light — a heavy caramel overpowers the orange. Stop before it gets dark.
- Cold Grand Marnier won't light. Warm it gently first, or the flambé fails entirely.
- Flipping too early. The crêpe tears. Wait until the edges are visibly dry and lifting before flipping.
Sources
- Crêpes Suzette —
- Crêpes —