Crêpe Suzette

Pancakes in boozy orange juice.

Crêpe Suzette is really easy to make - I used to make it for breakfast when we spent our summers in France in the 80s/90s. If you substitute butter for marg and ensure you use vegan alcohol; pretty much any Crêpe Suzette recipe will work.

In fact, you don't really need a recipe at all. Just melt some margarine in a pan and add orange juice/peel, lemon juice/peel, sugar and Cointreau to taste. Simmer down slightly, add pancakes and warm through. If flambéing's your thing then pour a ladle of flaming cointreau or brandy over at the end - it's not strictly needed though. You can leave out the booze altogether if you like.

Here's the quantities I used last night:

• 6 Pancakes
• Knob of Margarine
• 1 Orange (zest only)
• 1 Lemon (zest + juice)
• 200ml Orange Juice
• 100g Castor Sugar
• 75ml Cointreau + extra for flambéing

I blogged my pancake recipe a year ago (clicky click) which worked perfectly. I mixed half of the soya milk with the flour first, then whisked in the rest of the milk. It looked a little thin at first but seemed to do the job and came out lump free.

Zest the orange and the lemon, then juice the lemon. Add to the orange juice along with the sugar and cointreau.

Heat the margarine in a pan, then add the liquid. Simmer for 5 minutes so that it reduces slightly and becomes more syrupy. Taste and add more sugar / booze as needed.

You may choose to remove the zest at this point - whilst it looks nice it doesn't taste so great. Add the pancakes one by one, sliding under the sauce then folding into quarters. Warm through for a couple of minutes.

If you feel the need to set fire to things; either seek professional help or heat a ladle of cointreau, light and add to the pan (or pour the Crêpe Suzette once served).

You can serve with icecream if you like, but it tastes perfectly fine on its own. I can thoroughly recommend eating it immediately whilst the pancakes are still delicate. I discovered to my dismay last night that if you pounce around with a camera for 20 minutes they can become rather chewy! :O

Champagne Cocktails

Whilst I can fully appreciate good cognac and good whisky I have no appreciation what so ever for champagne.

I don't know whether it is something I'll grow into or not, but of all that I've tried costing up to £60 a bottle I've found none that I've enjoyed more than a simple glass of juice. Thus when making cocktails using it I opt for £5-£7 Cava instead.

The infamous Champagne Cocktail (sugar cube, 2 drops bitters, 1 tsp cognac, champagne top) is OK(ish), but nothing to get excited about. Kir Royal I just don't get - it's like lemonade and blackcurrant but way more expensive and not as nice. Bucks fizz (with a dash of Cointreau) is drinkable, but again a complete waste of money.

Blend sorbet and frozen fruit however and you're onto a winner. The bubbles give the slushy iced fruit an almost sherbet type quality - it's a perfect summer afternoon drink.

The basic formula consists of:

• 100ml Champagne / Cava
• 50g Frozen Fruit
• 50g Sorbet

however you can adjust to taste. A splash of fruit juice works (especially if you're trying to make the bottle go further), as does a shot of fruit liqueur (such as Cointreau).

The standard version I've been making for the past few years involves mango sorbet and mixed frozen summer/black forest fruits.

Recently I've been experimenting with simpler variations, so you can better taste the individual flavours. Last night's attempts were:

Elderflower & Raspberry

Elderflower sorbet and frozen raspberries. This was my partner's favourite of the three, however if I were to make it again I think I'd use slightly fewer raspberries. Whilst I like raspberries they somewhat drowned out the lovely elderflower taste. Perhaps a shot of elderflower cordial might help?

Update - Yes it does, it makes it one fabulous drink! :)

Mango & Blueberry

Mango sorbet and blueberries. This was our least favourite, but still very drinkable.

Blackberry & Raspberry

This was my favourite of the three - raspberry sorbet and frozen blackberries.

Mulled Cognac

A simple, warming cocktail.

Mix 1 shot Cointreau, 1 shot VS/VSOP cognac (XO would be a waste), 3 cloves, half a cracked nutmeg, 1 inch stick of cinnamon and the zest of one clementine in a brandy sniffer. Move the glass in circles to coat the sides with alcohol, then light. Allow to flambé until the glass and liquid are warm, then blow out a sip.