Crepes Suzette Thin pancakes in a flaming liqueur sauce. This is Henri Charpentier's own recipe—and as he invented the dish in Monte Carlo in 1898 for HRH Edward, Prince of Wales, it is unquestionably definitive . . . but not impossible to recreate. The real difficulty in making perfect crepes Suzette is to make tender pancakes. The sauce should be made in advance, and allowed to mature. In fact, if you can master the art of the pancakes, you may dare to make the sauce in large quantities. It will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator. Crepes 2 eggs 2 T milk 2 T flour a pinch of salt 1 T cream Mix this very smooth; it should be the consistency of thick olive oil. Cook the crepes in an iron 6-inch pan, using a teaspoon of butter for each pancake. Use only enough batter to thin-coat the bottom of the pan; about a tablespoon or two is usually ample. The cooking process requires a deft hand and considerable authority; your first effort may well be depressing, but persevere, and you will quickly get the hang of it! The crapes need only a minute or two to brown, then should be quickly flipped over—Henri Charpentier, originator of the recipe, is still (at the age of 80) able to keep two iron skillets in operation simultaneously, and to flip his crepes in the air like a short-order cook with a Western omelette, talking all the while of la haute cuisine. Sauce: 2 oranges 1 lemon 4 T vanilla sugar (see below * ) 1/8 lb. of butter 1 tsp orange blossom water 2 ponies each: kirsch, white curacao rum 1 pony maraschino Cut the orange and lemon peel in julienne strips, and squeeze and strain the juice. Combine with sugar and butter in a pan, bring to a boil. Add orange blossom water and liqueurs; again bring to a boil and remove from fire. FINAL SERVICE In a chafing dish, heat enough of the sauce to cover the desired servings (1 cup is ample for serving 4). Make 3 crepes per serving. As each crepe is cooked, fold in half and remove to a warm plate. Place the crepes, three at a time, in the hot sauce. Turn and baste with the hot sauce, fold into quarters and stack around the outside of the chafing dish as you add the next three crepes. When all have been covered with the sauce, combine 1 pony of each liqueur used in the sauce; add to the chafing dish, heat for 1 minute and flame, turning and twisting the pan so all the crepes are well coated with the flaming sauce. When the flames die, serve quickly on pre-heated plates. * Place a vanilla bean in a pound of granulated sugar, in a tightcapped glass jar, and store for several weeks until sugar is impregnated.