Pancakes named Suzette

[Pancakes named Suzette]

Pancakes named Suzette



Pancakes "Suzette" are perhaps the most famous representatives of the large pancake family. And they certainly owe their beautiful name to a woman. But what kind of woman? History on this score can tell a lot of interesting things. But first things first.

Pancakes and theater

Take a look at this photo. It was taken in Paris in 1885. It shows Suzanne Reichenberg, the muse who may have given her name to the Suzette pancakes.



Suzanne Reichenberg (1853-1924) was a French actress of German descent. In one of the plays by the novelist Marivaux, which was staged at the privileged theater of the French Comedy (Comedie Francaise), Suzanne played the leading role. According to the script, she was supposed to eat pancakes. Since the play was popular and was played on stage every day, Suzanne had to eat pancakes every day. These, as well as other food for the theater, were prepared by a chef named Monsier Joseph. At some point, he thought about the difficult gastronomic part, which, in the name of art, Suzanne endured every time, pretending to enjoy eating hateful pancakes, and especially for the actress created special, small, almost airy sweet pancakes that no one has ever could get bored. Rumor has it that Joseph was in love with Suzanne ...

This is the first and most popular version of the origin of Suzette pancakes. But, unfortunately, there is no absolutely reliable information that would allow one to unconditionally believe in this beautiful story. Perhaps it was so, and perhaps it was completely different ...

Pancakes and kings

In 1934, a book of memoirs by Henry Charpentier, a French chef who immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s, was published in New York. and opened the famous Henri Restaurant there, the guests of which were the English Queen Victoria, the English King Edward VII, the Italian Queen Margaret, the Belgian King Leopold, Theodore Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller, Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Bernhardt and many, many other eminent persons.

In his book, Henry talked about how the Suzette pancakes were born as a result of a mistake. And this happened on January 31, 1896, when Prince Edward of Wales, the future King of England Edward VII, came to the Cafe de Paris restaurant in Monte Carlo, accompanied by his friends, among whom was a very young lady named Suzette. Who she was to the prince, alas, is unknown. Perhaps she was his niece, perhaps his goddaughter, and perhaps the illegitimate daughter ...

The honor of serving such important guests fell to fifteen-year-old Henry Charpentier, the waiter's assistant. One of the dishes that Henry had to serve to the guests was pancakes. All that was required of Charpentier was to carry the finished pancakes to the table, but first warm them up in a sauce consisting of orange peel, sugar and a combination of alcoholic beverages. Suddenly the sauce burned and the pancakes flamed. By a happy coincidence, Charpentier became the discoverer of a new sensational taste. The prince and his guests were so delighted with the dessert that Edward inquired about the name of the dish. Pancakes Princess, said a stunned Henry, and that was the first thing that came to his mind. ""Princess"? - Edward was surprised. "Can you name them after our beautiful Lady Suzette?" How could you refuse the future king? The next day the young Charpentier received a package from the Prince of Wales. It contained a ring with precious stones, a cane and a hat.

However, there is another contender for the role of the creator of "Suzette" - the chef Jean Rebaud, who created pancakes for King Louis XV at the request of Princess Suzette de Carignan. They say she was in love with the king.

Whoever the beautiful lady who gave her name to this masterpiece of culinary art, she undoubtedly deserves to be known in every home. Pancakes "Suzette" are able to decorate any, even the most demanding table, and cooking them is not so difficult as it might seem at first glance. Try it!

Pancakes Suzette

This vibrant restaurant food dessert seems to never go out of style. A winning combination of fine gourmet pancakes and intoxicating citrus sauce any gourmet will love it. Plus, serving Suzette pancakes is like a real theater show.

Pancake ingredients:
100 g flour
25 g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 large egg
300 ml whole milk
25 g butter, melted
butter for frying

Ingredients for the sauce:
juice of 2 medium oranges
orange zest strips
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp. l. liqueur Cointreau or Grand Marnier
75 g icing sugar
100 g butter

Combine flour, sugar and orange zest in a mixing bowl. Make a depression in the center and break the egg there. Beat the egg with a wooden spoon, gradually pouring in half of the milk and grabbing the flour in portions. Knead the dough to a uniform consistency, without lumps. Add the remaining milk and melted butter to the dough, stir well, and pour the dough into a large measuring cup.

Heat a little butter in a frying pan. As soon as it starts to bubble, pour some dough into the pan, tilting the pan so that it spreads evenly over the bottom in a thin layer. Fry on one side and use a spatula to turn the pancake over to the other side. Transfer the warm pancake to a heated plate, cover with plastic wrap (or a saucepan lid). Bake 8 pancakes in this way, stacking them one on top of the other under the plastic wrap.

To make the sauce, combine orange and lemon juices, lemon zest, and liqueur in a small bowl. 2-3 st. l. Pour this mixture into a cold frying pan with sugar. Heat a frying pan over low heat, melt the sugar and simmer for 1-2 minutes until a light caramel color is obtained. Stir.
Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the sauce. Stir constantly until the butter is completely melted. Add the zest strips and cook for another 2-3 minutes on a gentle simmer.

Roll each pancake into quarters. Place them in a skillet with sauce. Pour the sauce over the top. Raise heat to high and let sit for 1 minute. Place the skillet on the table quickly, pour the brandy over the pancakes and light it with a long candle or match. When the fire is out, serve the warm pancakes over a serving plate, top with the sauce and powdered sugar.


You can make pancakes several hours or even days in advance, this will save a lot of time. Prepare pancakes, cool and wrap in foil. Pancakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just when you decide to make Suzette pancakes, start right away with the sauce.

Rum or whiskey can be used instead of brandy.

Ready-made pancakes can be additionally accompanied by a scoop of ice cream and a tablespoon of fruit compote per serving.

Culinary Eden.

Bon appetit, make these pancakes