Chocolate-grapefruit crepe suzette with meyer lemon confit
By Johnny Iuzzini, Executive Pastry Chef, Jean Georges Restaurant, NYC
As seen at the French Culinary Insitute’s grapefruit dessert demo
Meyer Lemon Confit
Meyer lemons, thinly sliced
Sugar (2x lemon by weight)
water
Preheat oven to 200°F. Weigh sliced lemons and divide their weight in half to determine the weight of sugar needed. Sprinkle some sugar in the bottom of a rondeau pan, then layer the lemon slices in the pot, sprinkling sugar between each layer. Add just enough water to cover lemons. Cover with vented parchment paper and cook slowly in the oven until slightly transparent. Cool over an ice bath and reserve.
Notes:
If the lemons dry out but aren’t done yet, pour some more water on top.
Chocolate Crepe Batter
200 grams all-purpose flour
40 grams cocoa powder
5 grams salt
100 grams sugar
8 large eggs, room temperature
80 grams beurre noisette (brown butter), room temperature
40 grams Meyer’s dark rum
40 grams Grand Marnier
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
Sift together the dry ingredients and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. One by one, add each subsequent ingredient, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Mix well and chill overnight before using. Cook crepes using a small non-stick skillet or crepe pan and reserve.
Grapefruit Curd
150 grams grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
200 grams unsalted butter
300 grams sugar
300 grams eggs
2 gelatin sheets, bloomed and strained
zest from 1 grapefruit
Whisk together the grapefruit juice, butter, sugar, and eggs and bring to a quick boil. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add the gelatin and zest and mix again with the immersion blender. Cool over an ice bath immediately and chill until needed.
Suzette Sauce
188 grams sugar
pinch of salt
100 grams orange juice, freshly squeezed
100 grams grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
500 grams salted butter, cubed
zest from 1 lemon
zest from 1 grapefruit
90 grams grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
In a saucepan, caramelize sugar to medium amber and deglaze with 100 grams each of orange and grapefruit juice. Add butter and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add zests, and the remaining 90 grams of grapefruit juice. Stir to combine.
Notes:
To prevent the sugar from crystallizing, sprinkle only enough sugar to cover the pan. When it’s caramelized, sprinkle another layer of sugar and repeat till finished.
To Serve
grapefruit sections
Cut crepes in half and brush with Suzette sauce. Pipe about one tablespoon of Meyer lemon curd into the center of one half, add one grapefruit supreme and fold tightly into a triangle. Brush again with the Suzette butter, place on a buttered pan, and warm gently in the oven. Place on the plate with and garnish with a slice of Meyer lemon confit.