Julia Child’s Flaming Crepes Suzette (Crepes with Orange Butter, Flambees)

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UPDATE: Hi! In honor of the HBO series Julia… aren’t you just loving it so much? Me too. In fact, I’ve already gulped down the whole first season. Anyhow, I’ll be remaking some of Julia’s recipes (including this one) soon. When I first posted these, I was new to cooking from scratch (clearly). I didn’t even know how to braise yet. So, please find me on TikTok & YouTube to see my videos of Julia’s recipes and subscribe here for new posts so you don’t miss a thing. Bon appetit!

One of the recipes has been calling my name… Julia Child’s Flaming Crepes Suzette.

Julia Child’s Flaming Crepes Suzette

Although tempting to sell my own copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” along with some of the hair I pulled out while cooking from it, I held onto it because I have learned so much from Julia.

Why has this recipe been calling? Well, for the flames, of course. I freak out about heights, closed-in spaces, being misunderstood and fire so this was a challenge for me.

Julia Child’s Flaming Crepes Suzette

Crepes Fines Sucrees

Place ingredients in the blender in the order in which they are listed.

  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbs. orange liqueur, rum, or brandy
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 5 Tbs. melted butter

Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute. If bits of flour adhere to the sides of the jar, dislodge with a rubber scraper and blend a little more. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Orange Butter

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Peels & about 1/3 cup of juice from one orange
  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons orange liqueur

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until creamy. Place in a baking dish and set aside.

The Big Finish

Remove crepe batter from the fridge. Cook crepes and set aside. Heat the orange butter until melted. Dip both sides of crepe in butter. Fold in half and in half again and place on edge of the chafing dish. Rapidly continue with the rest of the crepes until all have been dipped, folded and arranged. Sprinkle the crepes with sugar.

Pour some orange liqueur and cognac over crepes. Avert your face and carefully ignite the liqueur with a lighted match. Shake the chafing dish gently back and forth while spooning the flaming liqueur over the crepes until the fire dies down.

… until the fire dies down.

… until the fire dies down.

… until the fire dies down.

… until the excitement dies down.

…until the depression settles in over the fact that you pretty much have the same crepe that you had a pre-fire show and you are left with the second realization that the freakin’ $40 cookbook that you loathe would only sell for 99 cents on eBay with all the butter and orange liqueurs that you’ve spilled on it.

My review of Crepes Suzette? Well, they’re tasty but need some chocolate sauce on them. I suppose that defeats the recipe a bit. I’ve had better luck with Julia’s savory dishes than her desserts. My family has been begging for the Boeuf Bourguignon again so maybe it’s time to take a time-out from French sweets and oranges with lips.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

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