Crêpes Suzette

SERVES 4-6 Though the ingredients and method are simple, the secret to making great crêpes is practise. Ideally, you want the batter to be nice and thin, so the finished version turns out light and airy.

250 gm plain flour

1 tbsp white sugar, plus extra for sprinkling 3 large eggs

960 ml milk

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, cooled, plus extra melted butter for cooking

120 ml Grand Marnier

ORANGE BUTTER

115 gm unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 tbsp orange zest

1 tbsp fresh orange juice Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a plate with baking paper. Whisk the flour, sugar and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs and milk and whisk until well combined, then add cooled melted butter and whisk until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Once the batter has rested, check to see if it has any lumps and strain it through a fine sieve if needed.

Heat a crêpe pan over medium-high heat and lightly brush it with melted butter. Using a ladle, pour about ¼ cup of batter into the pan. Immediately pick up the pan and swirl the batter so it covers the pan in a uniform round. Return to the heat and cook until the edges turn golden (45 seconds to 1 minute). Using a small spatula, release the edges of the crêpe and carefully flip it over. Cook until the other side is golden brown (30-45 seconds). Transfer the crêpe to the lined plate and sprinkle with sugar. Repeat with the remaining crêpe batter, layering the crêpes and sprinkling with sugar as you go. When finished, clean the crêpe pan.

For orange butter, combine the butter, orange zest and orange juice in a bowl and stir well to combine.

Add a small spoonful of the orange butter to the centre of a sugared crêpe. Fold in half and then in half again to form a triangle. Continue buttering and folding the remaining crêpes, then place them in the oven on 2 oven trays lined with baking paper until warmed through (about 5 minutes).

Arrange the crêpes in the crêpe pan or on a large heatproof platter. Warm the Grand Marnier in a small saucepan over medium heat. Very carefully tip the pan to ignite the Grand Marnier (or ignite it with a match), then carefully pour the flaming liquid over the warm crêpes. Use a long-handled spoon to baste the crêpes until the flame naturally burns out. Serve immediately.

This extract from The Cook’s Atelier: Recipes, Techniques, and Stories from our French Cooking School by Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini with photography by Anson Smart (Abrams, hbk, $55) has been reproduced with minor style changes.