Deglazing With Cognac... Should I Light-up?

[black chef]

i'm making steak au poivre tomorrow, and i need to use about a 1/2 cup of cognac to deglaze... and i need to light this on fire.

do i have to light up? will it make THAT much of a difference?

 

[Andy M.]

You want to end up with the flavor of the cognac and get rid of the harshness of the alcohol. Flaming a fairly quick way of doing that. You should add and ignite the cognac off the flame for safety.

Is flaming a problem?

 

[ironchef]

i'm making steak au poivre tomorrow, and i need to use about a 1/2 cup of cognac to deglaze... and i need to light this on fire.

do i have to light up? will it make THAT much of a difference?

Flambeing would just help to burn off the alcohol quicker, but there will still be alcohol in the dish as not all of it will evaporate. I prefer not to flambe per se and to just reduce the liquid because it concentrates the flavor in the brandy (or any other liquid) and gives sauces a deeper, more intense flavor.

As far as the differences in flavor, flambeing will give you more of the flavor of the alcohol in it's pre-reduced state, meaning closer to what it would taste like out of the bottle. By the time you reduce the cognac to cook out the amount of alcohol that you'd like, the flavor will taste different. To me it's a richer, more complex flavor which is what I try to achieve in my sauces, but it's up to you what you want to do.

 

[Andy M.]

Learn something new every day! Thanks, IC.

 

[black chef]

You want to end up with the flavor of the cognac and get rid of the harshness of the alcohol. Flaming a fairly quick way of doing that. You should add and ignite the cognac off the flame for safety.

Is flaming a problem?

i have an electric stove here in my apt... so i'll have to get an igniter. the recipe i have calls for lighting-up to burn off the alcohol and then after deglazing, adding-in about 1 T of cognac and 2 T of butter.

i guess i'll be buying some type of igniter tomorrow.

on 2nd thought... maybe i'll just reduce as suggested by IC.

THIS SITE IS AWESOME... i learn something every time i log on.

 

[Andy M.]

You don't need a special igniter. A match will do. If you want to keep your distance, hold the match in your tongs or use a fireplace match.

 

[black chef]

You don't need a special igniter. A match will do. If you want to keep your distance, hold the match in your tongs or use a fireplace match.

the walton family is going to be mad with you. no trip to wal-mart for me.

why didn't i think of that? now, instead of buying an igniter, all i need to do is get a box of matches.

duh...

thx Andy.

 

[jennyema]

Yep, a simple match will do.

Like Andy says, do it off the heat. Don't wear a puffy shirt!

Also keep another skillet close by the first time you do it. If you get nervous about the flame, cover the flames with the other pan.

 

[GB]

It also does not hurt to have a fire extinguisher handy too. I always keep one in every kitchen.

Also be very aware of your surroundings. Make sure nothing flammable is close by. Look around you and above you.

 

[scott123]

I flambe and I reduce the cognac in my steak au poivre.

Flame goes up (obviously). If you introduce the match from beneath the pan and tickle the side, it should be perfectly safe for your hand. Just don't try and light it from above.

the recipe i have calls for lighting-up to burn off the alcohol and then after deglazing, adding-in about 1 T of cognac and 2 T of butter.

I'm not absolutely sure uncooked alcohol in any amount is good for this dish (or any dish for that matter). In desserts, an alcohol note can be wonderful, but in savory dishes... I generally find it's better not to add alcohol in the final stages where it won't be cooked away (to an extent).

In steak au poivre, you're looking for the depth of flavor and richness from the cognac, not the harsh burning taste of the alcohol.

 

[Robo410]

The flame is often just a tableside show, and an effective one. I agree with Ironchef...I often cook with brandy and prefer to reduce, so I rarely flame.

 

[ronjohn55]

Hmm..

Never realized there was a flavor difference involved. It would seem to me that the only thing burning off when you "light up" is (more or less) the evaporated alcohol - which is already in a gaseous state (and out of the dish). I wouldn't have ever thought it would impact the flavor. Guess it's just one of those things. Good to know!

john

 

[GB]

Well you are right ronjohn, it is the vapors that are burning which are not in the dish anyway, but (and someone please correct me if I am wrong because I was never really told this was true) the heat from those flames is cooking the booze a bit which is what changes the flavor somewhat.

I always thought that part of flaming a dish was for safety reasons. It was sort of like a preemptive strike. You flame it yourself so it does not flame unexpectedly while you are cooking.

 

[black chef]

wow... what i thought may have been a stupid question has turned into an interesting discussion.

i need to do more research on this topic...

 

[chefbren]

Don't let them scare you, it's very unlikely you will need a fire extinguisher.

It sounds like your saying your recipe calls for flaming the cognac, then adding more cognac and reducing? That seems like an extra step you don't really need, the reducing is the important part.

 

[kitchenelf]

You've gotten good advice here - the only reason I wouldn't flambe something is because my microwave is so low to my stove - although...................I could use a new hood vent..................... and kitchen for that matter............ never mind, my husband's an insurance adjuster and wouldn't turn in the claim anyway

 

[scott123]

It sounds like your saying your recipe calls for flaming the cognac, then adding more cognac and reducing?

There is no final reduction after the 2nd addition of cognac. This sauce is finished with cognac and butter- a practice that I brought into question earlier. Butter is sublime for finishing sauces, but not cognac. At least not in my book.

 

[black chef]

Don't let them scare you, it's very unlikely you will need a fire extinguisher.

It sounds like your saying your recipe calls for flaming the cognac, then adding more cognac and reducing? That seems like an extra step you don't really need, the reducing is the important part.

the small amount of cognac added after the initial reduction is probably just to add just a touch of flavor and alcohol. it is optional... not required.

 

[chefbren]

lol, Kithcenelf now that you said that outloud, better not.

I use to make a greenpeppercorn and cognac sauce for steak all the time, reduced and mounted up with butter, very nice but a little sweet for my taste, the peppercorns helped to cut that. If your steak is pepper-crusted that will help to balance the sweet. You know, when I'm not sure about a recipe, I follow that directions to the letter the first time, then I know how I want to change it after that or if you really want to know the difference, have two pans, reduce only in one and flame only the other. If you do that, let us know what you think.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

Flambeing is great for tableside presentation with figs or bananas, but is not necessary. Most people that light the yak or other alcohol do it because they think it is cool, Personally, when i very first started cooking, I took a shot of liquor and dumped it into a hot empty pan because I thought it was just the coolest thing.....how retarded is that