Flambéed crêpes: from Suzette to Normande

A blue flame dancing above the plate, a scent of orange or apple: a flambéed crêpe never fails to impress. Where does the most famous of them all, the crêpe Suzette, come from? What happens when you flambé? And which spirit should you choose? A short guide, from Suzette to Normande.

In short: to flambé a crêpe, you pour a slightly warmed spirit over the hot crêpe and set it alight. The spirit adds its aroma and the sugar caramelises a little, but the flame does not burn off all the alcohol. As for the crêpe Suzette, its origin remains a matter of legend.

Crêpe Suzette, a story of legends

It is the queen of flambéed crêpes: a crêpe coated in beurre Suzette (butter, caramelised sugar, orange or tangerine juice and zest), laced with Grand Marnier or curaçao. Its origin, however, is hotly disputed.

• The best-known version. According to legend, in 1895, at the Café de Paris in Monte Carlo, a very young waiter, Henri Charpentier, was preparing crêpes for the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII. The sauce caught fire by accident; he tasted it, found it delicious and served it as it was. The prince is then said to have suggested naming the dessert after a young girl at the table: Suzette.
• The doubt. This account comes mainly from Charpentier's own memoirs, written much later in the United States, where he made his career. The Larousse Gastronomique disputes it: he would have been far too young to serve the prince.
• Another lead. In Paris in 1897, the actress Suzanne Reichenberg, known as "Suzette", served crêpes on stage at the Comédie-Française; they were made by a certain Monsieur Joseph of the Restaurant Marivaux. The name is said to come from her.

One last nuance: the first published recipes, including Escoffier's in his Guide Culinaire, are not flambéed. The flame may well have come later, for the show.

What happens when you flambé?

A spirit (fruit brandy, rum or a liqueur at around 40% ABV), slightly warmed, is poured over the hot crêpe and set alight: it is the alcohol vapours that burn, hence the bluish flame.

• Aroma: the spirit flavours the crêpe (orange from Grand Marnier, apple from Calvados…), and the flame slightly softens its burn on the palate.
• Caramel: the heat lightly caramelises the sugar on the surface and adds toasty notes.
• Alcohol: contrary to popular belief, it does not disappear completely. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) retention tables, a flambéed dish keeps around 75% of the alcohol added. The amounts are small, but a flambéed crêpe is not an alcohol-free dessert: for children and pregnant women, choose another crêpe.

Which spirit for which crêpe?

Grand Marnier and Cointreau are orange liqueurs, hence their link with the Suzette. Calvados, the Normandy apple brandy distilled from cider, gave its name to the "Normande" crêpe. And in Alsace, a land of fruit brandies, kirsch, framboise and poire Williams are classics.

Our flambéed crêpes at Crampous Mad

On our menu, flambéed crêpes have their own section. Like all our crêpes, they are cooked one by one, to order.

For the Sucrée and Chocolat flambées, choose your spirit: Calvados, Grand Marnier, rum, Cointreau, framboise, poire or kirsch.

There is no crêpe Suzette on our menu, but the Mandarine echoes its pairing of citrus and Grand Marnier, with the freshness of a sorbet as a bonus. Savoury lovers are not forgotten: our buckwheat galette Savoyarde (Emmental and nutmeg) is flambéed with kirsch. Galette or crêpe? All the differences in our article Galette or crêpe: what's the difference?

A flambéed crêpe in Mulhouse

The Crampous Mad crêperie welcomes you at 14 rue des Tondeurs, near Place de la Réunion, with service all day: from 11:30 am to 9 pm Tuesday to Thursday, until 9:30 pm on Friday and Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday). An idea for Mardi Gras, on 9 February 2027?

See the full menu · Book a table by phone on 03 89 45 79 43