A sight to sore eyes and a treat to the nose. The only fire that one could want in the kitchen. How does food catch fire? Why does it look so cool to see a chef holding up a pan on flame, why would someone look forward to eating something that was on fire?
The technique is called ‘Flambéing’, originating from French ‘Flambe” meaning to set on fire. It is sometimes also called the burning platter. One can basically flambe anything from desserts to savory dishes or also cocktails. Wait, what? Yes, try it at your next dinner party. Try not to burn your house down.
The idea of flambéing originally started with seafood and fish, fast forward to drinks today being served on fire. There is even a mention of it in Charles Dickens’ “Christmas Novel”.
So, coming to the techniques, one can either set fire to the fat in which the food is being fried, or go for the more famous – setting fire to alcohol on the dish, just before serving. In the second scenario, one would want to consider the food and alcohol pairings which would go together. In most desserts the pairing is done based on the dessert base, such as cherry vodka for cherry-based desserts.
In case of lighting up alcohol, its suggested to go for higher proof alcohol. Since alcohol should be around 40-60%, only drinks like cognac, whiskey, gin and rum would work. Champagne, beer, or wine wouldn’t make the cut. Since alcohol oxidizes with heat, the taste and aroma of the alcohol would also linger back on the food. Beverages with content over 60% could be very dangerous due to high flammability and shouldn’t be used.
How do you go about it? Since the alcohol at room temperature is below its flash point, it requires to be heated. The alcohol is heated just until you see bubbles. As you heat it, vapors/fumes start rising. Boiling will, however, make all the alcohol evaporate off. Once the ethanol starts releasing off, ignite the flammable fumes. Although the burn time depends on the alcohol voltage, you can finish it off faster to leave a stronger flavour. Always remember, a little lights up a lot. Be stingy with the amount of alcohol you are using. The fire should be cut off in less than 30 seconds by cutting off oxygen supply, Get the lid on hand before starting the process. So, in an ideal situation, one does get rid of the bitter taste of alcohol and gets to keep the aroma of the beverage. One more aspect that comes in picture here is the caramelization of the sugar on the dish as the temperature would increase depending on time. Usually, the temperature of the surface of the food is much lower than that within the flame. There is however, quite a controversial opinion about whether Flambéing does change the taste or is it merely a visual spectacle.
Some popular flambé dishes are Bananas Foster, Cherries Jubilee, Gundel Palacsinta, Steak Diane, Bombe Alaska, and the list goes on. Flambe drinks are also a marvel. For drinks, a small layer of alcohol is added just before serving. For example, B52 is a cocktail topped with a few drops of rum which is then flamed up. But how do you drink it? Use a straw or blow the fire out and tilt the glass immediately.
Watching Flambeing is a pretty sight to see, atleast in the hands of professional. Otherwise things could quickly get heated up, literally.
References
https://www.delish.com/kitchen-tools/a41029417/how-to-flambe/
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