Crêpes Suzette, Walnut Gelato

Introduction

In high school I often went with my friends to one girl’s house to watch films and play games. The best part of that time was, without doubt, the friendships. Among the silliness we made pancakes with lots of hazelnut spread and jam. This more grown-up crêpe recipe adds walnut gelato to make it as greedy as those pancakes and as comforting as those friendships.

Instructions

For the dehydrated orange:

1. Preheat the oven to 110°C. Slice an orange very thinly and remove any pips.

2. Spread sugar on a plate and lightly coat the slices on both sides.

3. Lay each sugared slice on a silicone-lined baking tray.

4. Cover with another silicone mat and another tray.

5. Bake 50 minutes.

6. Remove the top tray and mat and blot liquid from the tray with kitchen paper.

7. Return to the oven 20–30 minutes more. Cool until firm.

For the walnut gelato:

1. Combine milk, cream and sugar in a pan. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pan with the pod.

2. Heat until almost boiling.

3. Whisk the yolks. Cool the milk slightly and pour it slowly onto the yolks, whisking so they do not curdle.

4. Return to the pan over gentle heat. Stir constantly. When the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon and a line drawn with your finger holds, turn off the heat immediately.

5. Strain into a shallow tray, cover the surface with cling film and chill until cold.

6. Fold in chopped walnuts and freeze, stirring vigorously with a fork every 30 minutes for 3 hours.

For the crêpes:

1. In a bowl, mix flour, salt and brown sugar.

2. Gradually whisk in the milk, then half a beaten egg and a little sunflower oil.

3. When smooth, pass through a fine sieve and refrigerate overnight.

4. The next day, melt a knob of butter in a non-stick pan. Ladle in batter, swirl to coat, cook about 1 minute, flip, cook briefly, stack on a plate. Repeat, adding more butter if needed.

5. In another pan, caramelise the white sugar without stirring until deep amber. Add the remaining butter and stir.

6. Add a little lemon juice, juice of 1–2 oranges and zest of 1 orange. Bring to a bubble.

7. Dip the crêpes in the sauce, add Cointreau and tilt the pan toward the flame to flambé.

To serve:

1. One hour before serving, move the gelato from freezer to fridge to soften. Fold a crêpe in half, then again into a triangle.

2. Add a quenelle of gelato on top.

3. Top with a slice of dehydrated orange.

4. Spoon over the rich orange sauce, more zest and thyme.