Crêpe Suzette
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crêpe Suzette is a typical French dessert, consisting of a crêpe with a hot sauce of caramelized sugar, orange juice, lightly grated orange peel and liqueur (usually Grand Marnier) on top, which is subsequently flambéed.
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[edit] Preparation
The most common way to make Crêpe Suzette is to pour liqueur (usually Grand Marnier) over a freshly cooked crêpe with sugar and light it. This will make the alcohol in the liqueur evaporate, resulting in a fairly thick, caramelised sauce. In a restaurant, a Crêpe Suzette is often prepared in a chafing dish in full view of the guests.
[edit] Origins
The origin of the dish and its name is somewhat disputed. One claim is that the dish was created out of a mistake made by a fourteen year-old assistant waiter Henri Charpentier in 1895 at the Maitre at Monte Carlo's Café de Paris. He was preparing a dessert for the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of England, and his companion whose first name was Suzette.
This is told by Henri Charpentier himself in Life a la Henri, his autobiography, although later contradicted by the Larousse dictionary.
It was quite by accident as I worked in front of a chafing dish that the cordials caught fire. I thought It was ruined. The Prince and his friends were waiting. How could I begin all over? I tasted it. It was, I thought, the most delicious melody of sweet flavors I had ever tasted. I still think so. That accident of the flame was precisely what was needed to bring all those various instruments into one harmony of taste . . . He ate the pancakes with a fork; but he used a spoon to capture the remaining syrup. He asked me the name of that which he had eaten with so much relish. I told him it was to be called Crepes Princesse. He recognized that the pancake controlled the gender and that this was a compliment designed for him; but he protested with mock ferocity that there was a lady present. She was alert and rose to her feet and holding her little skirt wide with her hands she made him a curtsey. ‘Will you,’ said His Majesty, ‘change Crepes Princesse to Crepes Suzette?’ Thus was born and baptized this confection, one taste of which, I really believe, would reform a cannibal into a civilized gentleman. The next day I received a present from the Prince, a jeweled ring, a panama hat and a cane.
Different sources (like the Larousse Gastronomique) however doubt that Charpentier was serving the prince instead of the head waiter.
The dish was already a speciality of the French restaurant Marie's by 1898 (Paris Vécu, L.Daudet, 1929).
[edit] References in Popular Culture
- In the The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Community Action", Alec claims he would have made crepe suzettes if they had Grand Marnier.
- In an episode of Pinky and the Brain set in 1800s France, as part of a plan to assassinate Napoleon (and take his place), the Brain alters the recipe for crepe suzette by adding an extra ingredient which causes the dish to explode when ignited. In the end, his plan literally blows up in his face.
- In the movie Trading Places, Coleman the butler makes Crepes Suzette for Louis and Penelope to set the mood for the film.
- In the song Bob Dylan's 115th Dream, Bob sings, "I ordered some suzette, I said 'Could you please make that crepe'."
- The theme song to The Patty Duke Show states: "Where Cathy adores a minuet, The Ballet Russes, and crepe suzette, Our Patty loves to rock and roll, A hot dog makes her lose control -- What a wild duet!"
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
^ Life A La Henri - Being The Memories of Henri Charpentier by Henri Charpentier and Boyden Sparkes, The Modern Library, New York, 2001 Paperback Edition. Originally published in 1934 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
