17/02/2021
Do You Know The Origins Of Crepe Suzette?
Zesty, boozy and with a scent of the risqué, Crêpes Suzette has been described as the most famous of all haute cuisine pancake creations and is undoubtedly the queen of retro desserts. But who was the enigmatic Suzette?
Conflicting stories abound, but one regularly told tale claims Suzette was an actress – Suzanne Reichenburg – who, while performing at the Comedie Française as a serving girl, carried crêpes on stage, supplied by a Monsieur Joseph of the Marivaux restaurant. Another cites the dessert’s namesake as an aristocrat, Princess Suzette Carignan, bidding to win the affections of King Louis XV.
However, by far the most popular version places the origin of both namesake and dish firmly at one of the tables of the Café de Paris, in Monte Carlo. The story goes that in 1895, a 14-year-old Henri Charpentier – the French chef who went on to become chef to John D. Rockefeller – created the dessert as a happy accident for the Prince of Wales, while working in the kitchens of the renowned restaurant. The Prince loved the flambéed crêpe with its zesty sauce and encouraged Charpentier to name the dish after one of his dining guests, a young French girl called Suzette.
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