Apple Flambé
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
The romance began with a dinner. He arrived at my apartment in the late afternoon carrying a couple of brown paper bags and a huge pot. He said he was making something special (the menu was a surprise), but the smell of roasted meat and smoky paprika, warm bread and some kind of pungent smelly cheese was hard to hide. The meal was delicious and though I was pretty full of Hungarian goulash, I had to admit I was curious about dessert. It was apple flambé. As instructed, I brought the two ice cream dishes to the table, cold from the freezer. By candlelight he spooned warm brandied apple slices blue with flame over my ice cream. It was Valentine’s Day, 1981; my soon-to-be fiancé and now husband knew how to win over my heart.
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
This is an easy dessert and yet a stunner because it is all about the presentation. You can use any fruit and flavor ice cream you want. Since I chose apples for my fruit, I used salted caramel ice cream, imitating the flavors of a caramel apple. You can double or triple the recipe easily by adding more fruit ( I use one apple for each serving). It is important to first put the ice cream in the bowls and then in the freezer before you start to prepare the apples. When the apples have lost their crunch and are ready to serve, take the bowls out of the freezer and place them on the table. For the full romantic effect, eat by candlelight and your companion will see the blue flame in the pan as you spoon out the apples. Impressive to watch, the dish is warm and cold, salty and sweet, can be on the table in 20 minutes with hardly any cleanup!
2 servings
2 medium-sized Granny Smith apples peeled and cored
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup of brandy
Ice cream
Into two bowls spoon one large scoop of ice cream each and place the bowls in the freezer until ready to serve. This is an important step (you don’t want to be eating soup, as I learned the hard way).
Prepare the apples by coring and peeling them. Cut them in half starting at the stem. Then turning them sideways, cut side down, slice them in even ¼” slices. In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat; take care not to burn it. Next add the sugar, stir to mix. Next add the apples. Be careful not to break them and let them gently cook for about 5 minutes. Once the apples are cooked, take out the cold bowls of ice cream from the freezer.
This is the time to make sure it is dark enough to see the flame, so put the bowls on the dining room table or where you both can see them.
In a small saucepan warm the brandy over low heat for a minute—don’t let it boil—just get it slightly warm. Now tip the saucepan ever so slightly so that you can light the liquid with a lighter, or if you’re very careful, from the gas burner. Pour the burning brandy over the apples, walk to the table, and spoon the apples and some liquid over the ice cream. The flame will go out quickly as the alcohol burns, but if you’re as lucky as I am, the warmth will continue...
Photo by: Lucy Alexander