In which French dessert are crêpes flambéed with Grand Marnier?

The French dessert in which crêpes are flambéed with Grand Marnier is Crêpes Suzette. It combines thin crêpes with a citrus-butter sauce that is traditionally ignited during presentation.

The sauce, called beurre Suzette, typically includes caramelized sugar, butter, orange or tangerine juice, citrus zest, and an orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier. Flambéing briefly burns off some alcohol while creating the dish’s dramatic tableside display and contributing a warm, concentrated citrus aroma.

The dessert’s origin story is disputed. One famous account says that Henri Charpentier accidentally set a sauce alight in 1895 while working at Café de Paris in Monte Carlo for the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. Another theory links the name to actress Suzanne Reichenberg, who performed under the name Suzette.

Crêpes Suzette is often confused with any dessert crêpe topped with orange sauce, but the defining combination is the Suzette-style citrus butter sauce and flambéed presentation. Early published versions did not always include the final flambé.