Crêpes Suzette: a sweet accident during a live cooking session
Once upon a time, the British crown prince – the future King Edward VII – took a group of 18 guests to the legendary Café de Paris in Monte Carlo to ring in the new year. A 14-year-old apprentice chef, Henri Charpentier, was assigned to prepare crepes for him at the table. But when the liqueur for the sauce suddenly caught fire, the boy had to improvise. He surreptitiously tasted the flambéed marinade with a pancake, added more liqueur and some sugar, and served the mishap up to the future king as an innovation. When the surprised Edward sampled the dessert, he was sold. Though flattered, he rejected Charpentier’s idea of naming the creation ‘crêpes princesse’. Instead, he gallantly dedicated them to his lovely companion, who happened to be named Suzette.