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The only fires I start in my kitchen on purpose are for flambéed desserts. Standing at the stove, with a few friends seated at the table behind me, I’ll shout, “Are you ready?!” and then lower my lighter to the pan. With a whoosh, a crown of blue flames jumps up from the bananas (it’s usually bananas) swimming in a now rum-soaked caramel. The fire dies out, but the oohs and ahhs echo for hours afterward.
A majestic way to end a meal, a flambé (“flamed” in French) is any dish that is doused in alcohol and lit on fire—usually sweets, though the technique can be applied to savory items and sauces as well. Nothing about a flambé is subtle: From the boozy flavor to the (gonna say it again) literal fire, it’s an attention-grabber deserving of its stereotype as a tableside spectacle at a fancy restaurant. But desserts made using this technique are much simpler to execute at home than they may seem. With the right tricks up your sleeve, you can collect the same oohs and ahhs without a dinner reservation or any risk of burning your sleeve.
Flambe dishes are often associated with French cuisine, and some popular examples include Bananas Foster (a dessert made with bananas, rum, and brown sugar), Steak Diane (a dish made with beef tenderloin, brandy, and Worcestershire sauce), and Crepes Suzette (a dessert made with crepes, orange liqueur, and sugar).
Use a long-reach lighter.
The flames are liable to get pretty high, so it’s best to keep your face (and clothing!) away from the danger zone. Some recipes suggest lighting your flambé by turning on a burner and tilting your pan slightly toward the flame so it licks the edge and catches on the contents—I find that unnecessarily tricky and also a little spooky. Instead, I start the fire with a long-reach lighter, the kind I use to light deep candles. You have more control over the lighting process and don’t have to get too close to the action.
Bic Multi Long-Reach Lighter
Turn off the heat.
The fire in a flambé is all show—aside from burning off the alcohol in the added liquor, it’s not cooking anything. So once your bananas or pile of saucy crêpes reaches your ideal state of doneness, move the pan off the heat or simply turn off the burner. This way you won’t risk overcooking anything during the fiery display.
How to Flambe Food Like a Pro | Chef School
FAQ
What are flaming foods?
What alcohol is best for flambé?
Can you flambé ice cream?
What to serve with fruit flambé?
Fruit flambé of any kind can be paired with ice cream, yogurt, cheese, or a savory main; in this case, I served mine with a flambé of Cornish game hen. When flambéing meats, I like to do it twice: once in the beginning, to create a basting sauce, and once again at the end, in front of guests. 1.
What food can one eat to make going to the bathroom easier?
Fiber-rich foods, such as papaya, plum, pumpkin, orange, oats and chia, have a laxative effect, as they contribute to the formation of fecal cake, being an excellent option for loosening the intestine. It is important to talk about water intake.
What can I use to flambé?
Roasts, especially chicken and other game birds, are great to flambé, but desserts are the classic option. What Type of Liquor Should I Use to Flambé? I prefer to use gin or vermouth (sweet or dry), but rum and brandy are also common, especially in recipes like Bananas Foster. 1.
Can you use alcohol to flambé food?
Only liquors and liqueurs with a high alcohol content can be used to flame foods, and those with a higher proof will ignite more readily. Beer, champagne, and most table wines will not work. Liquors and liqueurs that are 80-proof are considered the best choices for flambé. Those above 120-proof are highly flammable and considered dangerous.