Flambe, flambé. Flambe - what is it? How to cook flambé: recipes Fruit flambé

31.01.2022 Pancakes, cheesecakes

Flambe bananas are a spectacular-looking and delicious-tasting dessert, which is caramelized banana slices fried with the addition of alcohol. Dessert is considered a classic restaurant dish, but with a little preparation it can be prepared at home without much difficulty.

The term "flambe" (from the French flambee - to blaze, to flame) in the name of the dessert means that the flambé method is used in the preparation of the dish, i.e. short-term roasting of bananas with an open fire. Perhaps this term sounds somewhat mysterious, but in fact it represents the addition of a small portion of strong alcohol to bananas fried in caramel and its subsequent ignition. At the same time, the alcohol in the pan flashes spectacularly and burns for several seconds until it completely evaporates, giving the dish a seductive aroma and creating the thinnest, slightly crispy crust on the surface of the banana slices.

The cooking process, as you can see, is not too intricate, but requires caution, since it includes the stage of working with an open fire. In this recipe, I propose to analyze the main nuances and subtleties of cooking flambé bananas at home. Let's start?!

To prepare banana flambé, you will need the ingredients listed in the list.

Peel and cut bananas. In the process of frying, banana pieces will become softer, therefore, for the convenience of further work with them (turning, serving), it is best to cut small bananas in half, larger ones into 4 parts.

Combine sugar and butter, and over medium heat, stirring if necessary, fry for 3-4 minutes until the sugar and butter melt into a translucent syrup.

Heat the resulting mixture for another 2-3 minutes, until it acquires a golden hue. At this stage, the caramel may be a little uneven, partially exfoliating into butter and melted sugar - this is normal. The mixture will acquire smoothness and uniformity a little later, at the flaming stage.

When the melted sugar turns caramelised, add the bananas to the pan and fry for another 1-1.5 minutes until the banana pieces are lightly browned. Longer frying can cause the banana pieces to become too soft and fall apart when turned over.

Gently flip the banana slices and fry for 1 more minute on the other side. Sprinkle bananas with 1-2 pinches of ground cinnamon, if desired.

Measure out 2 tbsp. cognac or other strong aromatic alcohol, pour the drink into the pan, wait 1-2 seconds for the alcohol to warm up, take a step back and set fire to the mixture.

The duration and intensity of burning depends on the heating temperature. The stronger the heat, the more intense the flame will flare up. After a few seconds of burning, the alcohol will evaporate and the flame will go out on its own.

Important!

1. Do not pour alcohol into the pan directly from the bottle..

2. Ignite the mixture, don't lean over the pan, and vice versa, move away from her.

3. Prepare and keep a lid of a suitable diameter next to the pan. So, if necessary, you can quickly stop the burning process by covering the pan with a lid. Do not fill the burning dessert with water!

As soon as the flame goes out, the dessert is ready. Carefully place the banana slices on a plate, top with a scoop of ice cream and pour over the resulting fragrant caramel. If the caramel has cooled down and thickened slightly while you were decorating the dessert, warm it up.

Flambe bananas are ready.

Flambe - a term accepted all over the world, and in our country it has turned into the verb "flambé". True, it does not change the essence. The very word "flamber" in French means "flame, flame" and very accurately reflects the essence of this culinary operation.

A spectacular technique: pour strong alcohol over the dish and set it on fire. Alcohol burns out very quickly, having time to give the dish a new taste and aroma, and in some cases to give it the thinnest, but crispy crust.
Another option for flaming is to set fire to the alcohol separately and, flaming, pour it onto the product. This is most often done with fruits. Ignition causes some caramelization of the sugar in the liquor, causing the drink to take on a slight burnt sugar flavor.

It is customary to water meat dishes, as well as dishes from game or poultry, with cognac, whiskey, brandy, native vodka, gin or Italian grappa.
Gin is best for poultry, but rum is also good.
The fruits are flambéed with liqueurs, rum, cognac and calvados. And they burn omelettes and pancakes in the same way.
To make the flambé pieces have an appetizing crust, roll them in powdered sugar (fruit, dessert) or salt (fish, meat, game).

How to cook flambé:
. Make sure tablecloths, kitchen towels and pans are not nearby. Have a tight-fitting lid ready and heat a saucepan to high heat (the one you just sautéed in will work). Remove the pan from the stove, immediately pour 1/2 to 1 cup of liquor or wine into it, and immediately put it back on the stove. Step back a little, light the liquid with a long match or lighter, and quickly remove your hand. As soon as the wine lights up, you will hear a small pop and see a faint glow of blue and orange on the surface. Wait 15 minutes (if you took wine or liquor) until the flame goes out. Beer cannot be treated in this way as it contains too little alcohol to sustain combustion; alcohol can be removed from beer by boiling.

How to make flambé dessert:
. Turn a simple piece of cake or a frozen yogurt dish into an amazing dessert. Heat 15-30 g (1-2 tbsp) of cognac or fruit liqueur in a small saucepan or in a microwave oven at low power (you need the drink to be slightly warmer than room temperature). Quickly bring a lighter or a long match to the edge of the container (when you hear a light pop, immediately withdraw your hand). The drink will burn with an even flame. Pour it over the dessert, dim the lights and serve the dessert until the flame is out.

How to extinguish the flame:
. Cover the pot with a lid and remove from the stove. Let stand 1 min.

Flambe (or flambé) is not quite the usual way of cooking. However, such food is traditionally prepared, but before serving it is poured with cognac or other strong alcoholic drink and set on fire.

Bottom line: alcohol burns out, and the dish acquires an unusual and piquant taste.

Most often this happens in front of the client. Such an action with show elements is carried out in cafes and restaurants, thereby attracting the public to their establishments.

But flambé can also be made at home.

Subtleties of cooking

Only strong alcoholic drinks are used as fuel: cognac, rum, vodka, brandy.
Almost any food can be flambéed: vegetables, fish, meat, fruits and berries. Meat using the flambé method takes longer to cook and requires skill and skill, therefore, at home, housewives make flambé most often from fruits or vegetables.
Given the fact that the combustion temperature of alcoholic beverages is quite high, you need to follow safety precautions so as not to get burned.
Before embarking on such unusual cooking, you need to acquire the appropriate utensils. Modern pans with non-stick coatings are not suitable for this purpose. Therefore, it is best to use stainless steel or cast iron pans. They must be with a long handle to avoid getting burned.

banana flambe

Ingredients:

bananas - 4 pcs.;
butter - 70 g;
sugar - 80 g;
lemon juice - 40 ml;
orange juice - 100 ml;
cognac - 50 ml;
orange zest - 1 tbsp. l.;
ice cream.

Cooking method

Cut the bananas in half lengthwise.
Divide the butter in half. Melt one half in a pan and fry bananas on it.
Pour orange and lemon juice into another pan, put sugar and remaining oil. Stir and simmer over low heat for about three minutes.
Put the fried bananas in the syrup and warm everything together for a few minutes.
Prepare the plates on which you will lay out your dessert. Sprinkle bananas with zest, pour cognac and set on fire. When the fire goes out, transfer the dessert to plates. Put a scoop of ice cream next to it.

Pancakes with fruit flambé

Ingredients:

thin pancakes cooked according to your favorite recipe - 8 pcs.;
cranberries - 100 g;
apples - 1 pc.;
sugar - 100 g;
butter - 50 g;
cognac - 50 ml.

Cooking method

Cut the apples, remove the core, cut the fruits into cubes.
Wash cranberries and pat dry.
Melt butter in a frying pan, add apples and berries. Put sugar. Stir and heat until sugar dissolves.
Pour cognac over the fruit and set it on fire.
When the fire goes out, keep the fruit on the fire for another 2-3 minutes.
Place pancakes and fruit flambé on a plate.

Pancakes with orange flambé

Ingredients:

thin pancakes - 8 pcs.;
butter - 50 g;
sugar - 8 tbsp. l.;
oranges - 2 pcs.;
cognac - 80 ml.

Cooking method

Divide all the ingredients into 4 parts, each of which will go to prepare a flambé for two pancakes.
Peel the oranges from the peel, disassemble into slices, remove the white film from them.
Put butter in a frying pan and melt. Add sugar and stir.
When the sugar is melted, dip the orange slices into it and mix again.
Lay a pancake folded in half and brush with syrup.
Pour in a spoonful of cognac and set it on fire.
When the fire is out, transfer the pancake to a plate and top with the orange flambé.
In the remaining syrup, make another flambé pancake.

Enjoys huge popularity. However, you don't have to be a professional chef to cook delicious French food. And today, many are interested in the question of how to cook flambé. What is this dish? What products will be needed for its preparation and what rules should be followed?

Flambe: what is it?

In fact, the flambé process is one of the most sophisticated and spectacular techniques used by today's professional chefs. So how is flambé made? What it is?

The word itself translates as "combustion". The essence of the reception is a short-term firing on the fire of the finished dish. Moreover, the catalyst for the combustion process is, as a rule, alcoholic beverages, which quickly flare up, burn brightly, but quickly fade. Depending on the main components of the dish, brandy, cognac and rum are most often used as fuel.

Naturally, the serving of such a dish looks impressive, because the roasting is carried out in front of the visitors. In addition, cooked food retains the mild flavor of the liquor used. And a bright, but quickly burning flame provides the dish with a soft and crispy crust.

By the way, there is also a dish called “tart flambé”. What it is? It is a flat pie with a filling that is cooked over an open fire. This is a dish so do not confuse these two concepts.

What foods can be prepared in this way?

In fact, almost any dish can be cooked using this method. For example, in expensive restaurants, customers are offered flambé fruits. These can be bananas, apples, peaches, strawberries, etc.

In addition, vegetables are good to flambé. Roasting meat is also possible, but requires some professionalism and experience, as this process is longer. Some establishments serve chicken, veal, and even flambé seafood.

Dish at home: some technical points

Naturally, such delicacies can be prepared at home, but you should start with simpler dishes. In addition, you need to follow some safety rules.

To begin with, it should be noted that the temperature during the combustion of alcoholic beverages can reach 800-900 degrees. Therefore, it is not recommended to use cookware with non-stick (Teflon) or enamel coating. Even brief exposure to such high temperatures can damage the surface. It is best to choose containers made of stainless steel or bare cast iron.

If you are a beginner, it is better to use dishes with a long handle covered with heat-resistant material (for example, a frying pan or a saucepan) - this will protect your skin from damage. For ignition, do not use a lighter - long fireplace matches are more suitable. These simple rules will make cooking safer.

Since the fire goes out quickly, there is no need to worry about the food burning. If you are preparing a particularly delicate dish, you can pour alcohol not on the products themselves, but on the edges of the pan - the effect will be almost the same.

There is another cooking technique that looks much more spectacular, but requires some skills. Professional chefs sometimes pour alcohol into a separate container (for example, a coffee cezve) and set fire to the drink. Pour the burning liquid over the dish and wait until the flame goes out. Again, in this case, it is worth using a container with a long handle.

Banana flambé: simple and delicious

Cooking flambé (there is a photo here) from bananas is quite simple. For four servings, you will need the following products:

4 ripe bananas;
two tablespoons of orange peel;
70 g butter;
2 tablespoons of lemon juice;
half a glass of orange juice;
50 ml brandy (preferably high quality);
80 g of sugar;
vanilla ice cream to taste.

First, peel the bananas and cut them into halves. Melt 40 g of butter in one frying pan and fry bananas in it. Put the remaining oil in another pan, add orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Keep the syrup on low heat for three minutes, stirring constantly. Now put the fried bananas there and warm the dish for a few more minutes.

Before serving the delicacy, along with the zest, pour cognac and set it on fire. As soon as the fire goes out, you can put banana slices on plates along with ice cream.

Crepe Flambe: Recipe

Put the pancake on the pan. Any berries and fruits can act as a filling - pieces of apples and bananas, strawberries, sprinkle peeled fruits on top with sugar and put a piece of butter.

Now pour a small amount of alcohol over the filling of the pancake (usually cognac or rum is used), and then set it on fire. As soon as the flame goes out, the dessert is ready to eat. By the way, butter and melted sugar will provide the fruit with a delicious, crispy, fragrant crust.

Delicate delicacy recipe

Dessert "Flambe sunset" is considered the best option for an unforgettable romantic breakfast, because its delicate and sweet taste gives a pleasant relaxation. So how do you prepare it?

This is how flambé is made. This dessert is truly delicious. However, do not forget that the quality of cognac will affect the main features of the food, so it is better to choose expensive varieties.