French Orange Brandy Crêpes
A classic French dessert: crêpes brushed with orange liqueur and butter, pan-fried until golden, then flambéed with brandy.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter (for crêpes, may increase as needed)
90 g
Plain flour
175 g
Caster sugar (for crêpes)
1 tbsp
Salt
1 tsp
Eggs
4
Milk (may increase as needed)
375 ml
Unsalted butter (for orange butter, room temperature)
175 g
Icing sugar
30 g
Large oranges
3
Grand Marnier (optional)
1 tbsp
Brandy (for flambé)
75 ml
Grand Marnier (for flambé)
75 ml
Instructions
1
Prepare the crêpe batter
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set aside to cool. Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the caster sugar and salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour, crack in the eggs and beat until smooth. Gradually pour in half of the milk into the egg mixture, stirring continuously, and gradually draw in the surrounding flour to form a smooth batter. Slowly add half of the cooled butter, then pour in more milk and whisk to a cream-like consistency. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes.
2
Prepare the orange butter and orange zest buttercream
Cream the butter and icing sugar together with a wooden spoon until creamy and smooth. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest from 1 orange into strips, and finely grate the zest of the other 2 oranges and set aside. Remove the flesh from all 3 oranges, discarding the pips and pith, and reserve the flesh and juice. Add 2 tablespoons of the orange juice, the grated zest, and the Grand Marnier to the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until soft and smooth. Cover and keep at room temperature so the butter does not solidify. Orange zest strips can be prepared for garnish.
3
Cook the crêpes
If needed, add a little extra milk to bring the batter to a cream-like consistency. Place the remaining butter in a crêpe pan and heat over low heat. Reheat the pan and pour in 2-3 tablespoons of batter to test. With a flick of the wrist, swirl the pan so the batter spreads evenly across the base, then pour out any excess. Cook the crêpe over medium-high heat for about 1 minute until the underside is set and golden, then loosen the edges with a palette knife, flip it over and cook for another 30-60 seconds until the other side is golden. Slide the cooked crêpe onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
4
Finish and flambé
Spread the orange butter over the first-cooked side of each crêpe, then stack them on another plate. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, place a buttered crêpe butter-side down and heat for about 1 minute. Fold it in half with a palette knife, then fold again into a triangle. Heat the brandy and Grand Marnier in a small saucepan, then pour over the crêpes and ignite to flambé at the table.
