Why do we set alight the Brandy when we serve the Xmas pudding?!
Why do we set alight the Brandy when we serve the Xmas pudding?
Answers:
It is traditionally served flambe (sorry, can never remember how to do the little accent over the e) as a symbol of warmth during the holiday season in the cold winter.
Flambe presentations are usually based off a small skim of alchol that is lit, since alcohol burns at such a low temperature and as it burns it carmelizes whatever sugars are present in it, such as those in brandy, which adds a little different flavor to the dish as well. My favorite: Baked Alaska!
cos pudding is 'orriable and we all hope the pudding will burn away to nothing and we get trifle instead
I think it is to make the sugar caramelise over the pudding to enhance the flavour and also tradition.
I am not overly fond of shop bought Christmas pudding but my old mom used to make true pudding, using suet and all the mixed dried fruit. It was marvelous - especially the next day after it was cold. Sliced and fried (yes fried) in butter. Absolutely beautiful. We never set it alight but for those who like to see the spectacle, the tip is - don't use Brandy, use Vodka for a beautiful long burning flame............ Happy Christmas everyone and a peaceful new year to you all..............
It dates back to the early egyptians who set all their food on fire before eating it to kill weevils and other pests.
It takes temperatures in excess of 300 degrees to achieve the browning reactions that cause caramelization, which intensifies flavor.
That's why we falmbe alcohol in a skillet because merely cooking it with liquid would only allow it to reach 212, the boiling poitn of water.
It's not just for show, it's about flavor.
Chef Mark
My belief ont his matter is that it burns the alcohol in the brandy off to leave the flavour of the brandy. And as the alcohol in brandy is sugar (molasses) based, it does form a caramelly type coating dependant on the quality of the brandy used
So the kids don't get pissed. The flavour remains but the alcohol is burned off.
to burn the achol out of the brandy!
to set light to the pud is to free the ghost of crimbo
We set light to christmas puddings to make the kids happy at christmas.......short of this they would be going around town in their hoods setting light to waste paper bins attached to lamp-posts and bus-stops.