Crêpe Suzette

History 

This dish has quite a history, it is claimed that it was invented by a fourteen year old assistant waiter at Café de Paris in Monte Carlo in 1895.  The young waiter was Henri Charpentier and was preparing a dessert for the then Prince of Wales and his companion who’s name was Suzette.  The story below is from Henri Carpentier’s autobiography “Life a la Henri”:

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 medly 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 Crêpes 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 Crêpes Princesse to Crêpes 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.

Preparing Crêpes Suzette

Ensure your guéridon is setup correctly before you start to prepare this dish.  Once your trolley is set you are ready to start preparing the dish.  You will find below a video on how to prepare this dish.  You can download the written instructions by visiting the standard operating procedures section of this website.

Preparing Crêpes Suzette