Guava Crèpe Suzette
Crèpes were a staple in most of the European Country in the 19th Century made as savory dishes first and then sweet later, white flower an expensive ingredient that in these days was mostly reserved for royalties and wealthy persons. The famous Crèpe Suzette as a dessert was first created by Henry Chartentier the nephew of famous Auguste Escoffier and produced at the Café de Paris in Monaco for the Prince of Whales accompanied by a beautiful lady named Suzette. Later the Crèpes became traditional dish in France, prepared to be consumed in a family gathering on February the 2nd celebrating the light or la ”Chandeleur” no more long, dark nights of the winter.
Crèpes where first noted in the Caribbean in French ruled Haiti in the early 1900 the crèpe Suzette established itself in the Caribbean on the menus of Luxury Hotels with classic Cuisine in the early days of tourism. Today is still represented in many creative ways.
The contemporary crèpe, should use the locally grown fruits and spices, locally produced spirits enhancing and celebrating the products at their best.
Ingredients (for about 16 crèpes):
2 cups 450 gr Flour
1 cup 225 ml Whole Milk, replace some of the Milk with water to reduce calories if required
4 each Eggs
2 tbsp. 30 gr Butter (melted)
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Vanilla Stalk or Few Drops Vanilla Extract (optional)
Vegetable Oil (for pan)
How to Prepare Batter:
1. Sift flour and mix with salt in a bowl.
2. Make a well and pour in whisked eggs. Stir well with wooden spoon
3. Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Keep stirring batter until small bubbles form on the surface the batter should be free of lumps.
4. Stir in melted butter.
NB The batter does not need to stand before using it. However, if you do let it stand, you will most likely want to add 1 tbsp. of water before cooking with it. General rule of thumb: if it seems thicker than cream, add a little more water, and/or a little more milk.
However all flower based recipes to give best results should sit for 30 minutes so that the gluten can have its best binding effect.
How to Prepare Crèpes:
1. Pour a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and wipe the pan evenly. Keep paper towel at hand while preparing crèpes, in case you want to give it another wipe.
2. Pour in 2 - 3 tbsp. of batter and quickly move pan around, so that batter spreads evenly, covering the whole surface with a thin layer.
3. Let cook for about 1 minute feel the bubbles. Then, flip with a metal spatula, and cook other side for about 30-40 seconds the crèpe has to be of a golden color and pliable.
4. Cool on a flat surface so it can be handled.
How to prepare the filling/sauce and serve the Crèpes:
1 Orange (shredded) Rind
3/4 cup 170gr Granulated Sugar
5 oz. 140gr Butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup 60 ml Grand Marnier
4 oz. 110gr Guava Jelly
1/4 cup 60 ml Cognac
Mix orange rind with Butter at room temperature. In a saucepan, melt about 1 tbsp. butter/rind mix over a medium flame. Place one crepe on top, cook for about 30 seconds, flip, cook for about 15 more seconds, then sprinkle with a little sugar. Fold into quarters, take out of pan, and put on a plate on top of a simmering (not boiling!) pot of water. This will keep your crepes warm as you are preparing the filling. Proceed like this with each crepe. Mix liqueurs together and warm up. Put each crèpe on an individual plate. Pour liqueur over each one, then sprinkle with sugar and flambé. Serve right away!
This is an item that can be prepared in the kitchen but has a better impact where the guest sees the flambé, the classic presentation of this dish is table side flambé.
The Contemporary Cuna de Vida Inspired:
Same recipe as above but with the following changes:
Replace the Granulated Sugar to Brown Sugar for the filling/sauce reducing the quantity by 10% , add 30gr ripe banana and 40gr of very ripe Plantain.
Replace the Cognac with Rum preferably brown and smooth rum, the Grand Marnier with a suitable Island Cream based Liqueur such as Cruzan Rum Cream or Pimento Dram.
Add a dash of Pimento and Nutmeg and 1 dl of orange juice
The Plantain must be added after the butter is melted in the pan and the Pimento, Nutmeg and Banana after the flaming simmer for an additional 30-45 seconds depending on the maturity of the Plantain and the Banana, the riper the Fruits the least time it need to simmer.
The Crèpes should be filled with the simmered fruit and served with Ice cream at the table a Vanilla Ice cream is recommended as the flavors of the crèpes should not compete with the Ice Cream.
As modern coking is more conscientious of nutritional vales without compromising flavors and texture you can replace the butter with non cholesterol margarine, the other alteration is the reduction of white flower and he addition of very fine corn meal this however will produce a less pliable
Crèpe Suzette
Crèpes were a staple in most of the European Country in the 19th Century made as savory dishes first and then sweet later, white flower an expensive ingredient that in these days was mostly reserved for royalties and wealthy persons. The famous Crèpe Suzette as a dessert was first created by Henry Chartentier the nephew of famous Auguste Escoffier and produced at the Café de Paris in Monaco for the Prince of Whales accompanied by a beautiful lady named Suzette. Later the Crèpes became traditional dish in France, prepared to be consumed in a family gathering on February the 2nd celebrating the light or la ”Chandeleur” no more long, dark nights of the winter.
Crèpes where first noted in the Caribbean in French ruled Haiti in the early 1900 the crèpe Suzette established itself in the Caribbean on the menus of Luxury Hotels with classic Cuisine in the early days of tourism. Today is still represented in many creative ways.
The contemporary crèpe, should use the locally grown fruits and spices, locally produced spirits enhancing and celebrating the products at their best.
Ingredients (for about 16 crèpes):
2 cups 450 gr Flour
1 cup 225 ml Whole Milk, replace some of the Milk with water to reduce calories if required
4 each Eggs
2 tbsp. 30 gr Butter (melted)
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Vanilla Stalk or Few Drops Vanilla Extract (optional)
Vegetable Oil (for pan)
How to Prepare Batter:
1. Sift flour and mix with salt in a bowl.
2. Make a well and pour in whisked eggs. Stir well with wooden spoon
3. Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Keep stirring batter until small bubbles form on the surface the batter should be free of lumps.
4. Stir in melted butter.
NB The batter does not need to stand before using it. However, if you do let it stand, you will most likely want to add 1 tbsp. of water before cooking with it. General rule of thumb: if it seems thicker than cream, add a little more water, and/or a little more milk.
However all flower based recipes to give best results should sit for 30 minutes so that the gluten can have its best binding effect.
How to Prepare Crèpes:
1. Pour a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and wipe the pan evenly. Keep paper towel at hand while preparing crèpes, in case you want to give it another wipe.
2. Pour in 2 - 3 tbsp. of batter and quickly move pan around, so that batter spreads evenly, covering the whole surface with a thin layer.
3. Let cook for about 1 minute feel the bubbles. Then, flip with a metal spatula, and cook other side for about 30-40 seconds the crèpe has to be of a golden color and pliable.
4. Cool on a flat surface so it can be handled.
How to prepare the filling/sauce and serve the Crèpes:
1 Orange (shredded) Rind
3/4 cup 170gr Granulated Sugar
5 oz. 140gr Butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup 60 ml Grand Marnier
1/4 cup 60 ml Cognac
Mix orange rind with Butter at room temperature. In a saucepan, melt about 1 tbsp. butter/rind mix over a medium flame. Place one crepe on top, cook for about 30 seconds, flip, cook for about 15 more seconds, then sprinkle with a little sugar. Fold into quarters, take out of pan, and put on a plate on top of a simmering (not boiling!) pot of water. This will keep your crepes warm as you are preparing the filling. Proceed like this with each crepe. Mix liqueurs together and warm up. Put each crèpe on an individual plate. Pour liqueur over each one, then sprinkle with sugar and flambé. Serve right away!
This is an item that can be prepared in the kitchen but has a better impact where the guest sees the flambé, the classic presentation of this dish is table side flambé.
The Contemporary version:
Same recipe as above but with the following changes:
Replace the Granulated Sugar to Brown Sugar for the filling/sauce reducing the quantity by 10% , add 30gr ripe banana and 40gr of very ripe Plantain.
Replace the Cognac with Rum preferably brown and smooth rum, the Grand Marnier with a suitable Island Cream based Liqueur such as Cruzan Rum Cream or Pimento Dram.
Add a dash of Pimento and Nutmeg and 1 dl of orange juice
The Plantain must be added after the butter is melted in the pan and the Pimento, Nutmeg and Banana after the flaming simmer for an additional 30-45 seconds depending on the maturity of the Plantain and the Banana, the riper the Fruits the least time it need to simmer.
The Crèpes should be filled with the simmered fruit and served with Ice cream at the table a Vanilla Ice cream is recommended as the flavors of the crèpes should not compete with the Ice Cream.
As modern coking is more conscientious of nutritional vales without compromising flavors and texture you can replace the butter with non cholesterol margarine, the other alteration is the reduction of white flower and he addition of very fine corn meal this however will produce a less pliable ..