Flambé (UK:/ˈflɑːmbeɪ,ˈflɒ̃-/,US:/flɑːmˈbeɪ/ ⓘ,[1][2]French:[flɑ̃be]; also spelledflambe) is acooking procedure in whichalcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames. The word means "flamed" inFrench.[3]
Flambéing is often associated with the tableside presentation of certain liqueur-drenched dishes set aflame, such asBananas Foster orCherries Jubilee when the alcohol is ignited and results in a flare of blue-tinged flame. However, flambéing is also a step in makingcoq au vin and other dishes and sauces, using spirits before they are brought to the table. By partially burning off the volatile alcohol, flambéing reduces the alcoholic content of the dish while keeping the flavors of the liquor.
Modern flambéing became popular in the 19th century. The EnglishChristmas pudding was served flaming inCharles Dickens' 1843 novel,A Christmas Carol: "the pudding... blazing in half of half-a-quarter of ignited brandy".[4] The most common flambé dish appears to have been sweetomelette withrum orkirsch; for example,Alexis Soyer's 1846 cookbook,The Gastronomic Regenerator, gives a recipe forOmelette au Rhum: "...the moment of going to table pour three glasses of rum round and set it on fire".[5] Ida Joscelyne's book,The Marvellous Little Housekeepers (1880), mentions both rum and kirsch;[6] another recipe appears in A.G. Payne's English cookbook,Choice Dishes at Small Cost, of 1882: "Make a sweet omelet, and heat a tablespoonful of kirsch, by holding a light under the spoon. As soon as the spirit catches fire pour it round the omelet, and serve flaming."[7] Perhaps the most famous flambé dish,Crêpe Suzette, was supposedly invented in 1895 as an accident.[8]
Cognac, rum, or other flavorfulliquors that are about 40% alcohol (80USA proof) are considered ideal for flambé.[9]Wines andbeers have too little alcohol and will not flambé. High-alcohol liquors, such asBacardi 151 orEverclear, are highly flammable and considered too dangerous by professional cooks.Cinnamon is sometimes added not only for flavor but for show, as the powder ignites when added.[10]
The alcoholic beverage must be heated before lighting it on fire. This is because the liquid is still below theflash point at room temperature, and there are not enough alcoholic vapors to ignite. Thevapor pressure increases by heating it, releasing enough vapors to catch fire from the match.[11]
Flambéing reduces the alcohol content of the food modestly. In one experimental model, about 25% of the alcohol was boiled off. The effects of the flames are also modest: although the temperature within the flame may be quite high (over 500 °C), the temperature at the surface of the pan is lower than that required for aMaillard browning reaction or forcaramelization.[12]
...we serve almost everything flambe in these rooms, occasionally even a waiter's thumb. The people seem to like it, and it doesn't harm the food much.
— Ernest Byfield,The Pump Room,Chicago, 1950[13]
Whether or not there is a change in flavor as a result of flambéing is unclear. Some claim that because the flame is above the food, and since hot gases rise, it cannot significantly affect the flavor. Indeed, experimental work shows that most people cannot tell the difference.[12] That said, in an informaltaste test conducted by theLos Angeles Times of two batches of caramelized apples (one flambéed and onesimmered), one tester declared the "flambéed dish was for adults, the other for kids."[10]
For safety, it is recommended that alcohol not be added to a pan on a burner and that the cook use a long fireplace match to ignite the pan.[9]
Examples of popular flambé dishes include:[14]
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