The idea of going out for New Year’s Eve doesn’t thrill me. I’d rather stay home, enjoy a great meal and drinks, and not worry about crazy drunk people driving in my vicinity.
In the “old days”, we would have family (penny) poker night with lots of shrimp cocktail, chips, and Tanqueray and Tonics (extra lime, please). Those are some of my fondest NYE memories.
Now it’s time to make some new memories. I think having a fancy dinner to end the year is a fabulous idea. Best of all, it doesn’t have to be complicated!
A fresh salad with citrus dressing, shrimp scampi (Rao’s recipe is excellent), and this incredible dessert will knock everyone’s socks off AND you won’t be a slave to the kitchen.
Crepes Suzette
From The Joy of Cooking
4 T unsalted butter
1/2 c fresh orange juice
1/3 c sugar
1 t fresh lemon juice
zest of orange
2 T Grand Marnier
2 T Cognac
12 8″-10″ crepes (recipe in comments or https://thefarmgirlcooks.com/springtime-dessert-perfection-crepes-paloma/)
1/2 c grand marnier
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large skillet over medium heat (do not use non-stick). Boil until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in liqueurs, return to boil for 30 seconds.
Begin adding crepes to skillet one at a time, turning to coat in sauce, then folding in half, then in thirds to make a triangle. Move the coated, folded crepes to a dish while you fold the remaining crepes.
REMOVE THE PAN FROM THE HEAT, add in 1/2 c grand marnier and return the pan to heat. Let the crepes heat up for a few minutes, then, using a long-handled match carefully ignite. If you are using a gas burner, you can simply tip the pan carefully and the alcohol will flame.
For Crepes:
Makes about 15
4 oz all-purpose flour
1 oz sugar
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 oz butter, melted and cooled
1 cup milk, warmed
In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in eggs and yolks. Begin whisking the eggs, gradually moving the whisk and pulling in flour until the mixture is smooth and well-combined. Gradually whisk in melted butter, then gradually whisk in milk. The crêpe batter will be as thick as heavy cream. The crêpe batter can be used right away, but you’ll get better results if you let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour, and even as long as overnight.
Heat an 8-inch non-stick pan over medium heat until a few drops of water will dance across the surface when sprinkled on pan. Holding pan in left hand, quickly pour a scant 1/4-cup of batter into the pan. Tip the pan forward and backward and from side to side to swirl batter evenly across surface of the pan.
Put back on heat and let cook until light golden speckles appear on the underside of crêpe, about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Use a heat proof rubber scraper to carefully lift the edge of the crepe to check it. Gently flip the crêpe over and cook the other side, again, looking for those pretty speckles. This time it shouldn’t take more than 30-45 seconds.
Remove crêpe from pan and stack on a plate or tray until you’re ready to use them. Wrap the crêpes in plastic wrap or a heavy duty plastic bag and refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.
Springtime Dessert Perfection: Crepes Paloma
