Nothing screams vintage cookbook like flambe right? In keeping with my “Steph and Betty” goal of trying as many recipes as I can from my mother’s old Betty Crocker cookbook, I decided to light some peaches on fire today. It took a few tries as Betty didn’t really explain how to get the brandy to actually light. But that is what I am here for!
I’ll be honest, the idea of sticking a flame into a pan with the goal of starting a fire, scared me. A lot. But, I went ahead and did it anyway.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup apricot jam
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
4 large peaches, peeled and sliced, or 1 large 29 oz. can of sliced peaches, drained
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brandy
Combine the jam, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat about 5 minutes or until syrupy. I couldn’t find jam so had to settle on preserves which I think may have been the reason it did not get very syrupy.
Add the peaches to the pan and heat for about 3 minutes for fresh peaches until almost tender, and less for canned peaches. Add lemon juice and stir.
In order for the brandy to light it needs to be hot. The original recipe just said to heat the brandy but did not explain that the brandy needs to heat until it starts to bubble. It will not light if not hot enough.
Once this happens turn off the heat under the peaches, make sure to do this.
Pour the hot brandy over the peaches and light.
Once it burns out, stir and serve over vanilla ice cream. It was actually quite yummy!
Peaches Flambé
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup apricot jam
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 peaches, or 2 – 15 oz. cans
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup brandy
Instructions
- Combine jam, sugar, and water in a saucepan for about 5 minutes until syrupy. Add peaches and cook 3 minutes for fresh peaches, or less for canned peaches until heated. Stir in lemon juice.
- Heat brandy in small saucepan until it starts to bubble.
- Remove both from heat. Pour hot brandy over peaches and light.
- Stir, serve over vanilla ice cream.