Pêches Flambées

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-quart (2.8-liter) wide saucepan
• •1-quart (950 ml) small saucepan
• •Slotted spoon
• •Fine-mesh sieve and blender for the strawberry option
• •4 small heatproof timbales or 6-ounce (180 ml) ramekins
• •Rimmed metal tray and metal lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Long match or long-reach lighter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare whole peaches

   Peel the peaches thinly, preserving their round shape and leaving the stones inside. If the skins cling, lower the peaches into plain boiling water for 20 seconds, cool them under running water, and slip off the skins; empty the pan and use it for the syrup. Keep the fruit whole. A ripe peach bruises under impatient fingers, so cradle it rather than squeezing it.

   The peaches should smell fragrant at the stem and yield only slightly to pressure. Soft fruit will collapse during poaching, while hard fruit stays woody at the centre.
2. 2

   Build the kirsch syrup

   Combine the water and sugar in a wide 3-quart saucepan. Bring them slowly to a boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then reduce the heat and add the kirsch reserved for the syrup. You want a light, clear poaching syrup, not caramel; wash any stray sugar crystals from the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush if they appear.

3. 3

   Poach at a tremble

   Lower the peaches into the syrup and adjust the heat until the surface barely trembles. Poach for 8 to 15 minutes, turning the fruit gently if it is not fully submerged, until a thin skewer enters the flesh with slight resistance near the stone. Do not boil. If one peach begins to split, lift it out immediately and place it split-side down for serving; ça se rattrape. Lower the heat before continuing with the others. Transfer the peaches to a plate with a slotted spoon and let them stand until warm.

4. 4

   Option one: bind syrup

   For the timbale version, measure 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of poaching syrup into a clean small saucepan. Stir the arrowroot and cold water into a perfectly smooth slurry, then whisk it into the hot syrup. Cook gently for 30 to 60 seconds, just until the syrup turns glossy and lightly naps the back of a spoon. A hard or prolonged boil can weaken arrowroot. If the glaze forms lumps, strain it; if it tightens too far, whisk in a little unthickened syrup. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Option two: make purée

   For the strawberry version, blend the hulled strawberries until completely smooth, then press the purée through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Keep it raw and unsweetened. Its fresh acidity is the contrast to the poached fruit, and cooking it would turn this into a different sauce. If the berries are unusually watery, let the purée drain through the sieve for five minutes.

6. 6

   Arrange the chosen finish

   For the first presentation, set one warm peach in each small timbale or ramekin and spoon the lightly thickened syrup over it, allowing the glaze to pool around the base. For the second, divide the raw strawberry purée among four shallow heatproof dessert dishes and set one peach in the centre of each. Place all four portions on a rimmed metal tray at a cleared table, away from a range hood, curtains, bottles, and guests' sleeves.

7. 7

   Warm and flame

   Measure the flambéing kirsch into a clean small saucepan, never directly from the bottle over the dessert. Warm it over low heat to about 120 to 130°F (50 to 55°C); it should smell fragrant but must not simmer. Remove the saucepan from the heat, turn off the burner, and carry only the measured kirsch to the cleared table. Pour 1 tablespoon (15 ml) over each peach and ignite the edge of each portion with a long match or lighter. The blue flame can be difficult to see, so never touch or carry a dish until it is fully extinguished. If the kirsch does not catch, do not add more alcohol or lean over the dish. Cover it to ensure no invisible flame remains, then serve it unlit; ça se rattrape, and the kirsch perfume is still there. Let every flame die naturally before passing the dishes. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use dry kirschwasser at about 40 percent alcohol, not a sweet cherry cordial. The dry spirit perfumes the peach without turning the syrup cloying, and a low-proof liqueur may not flame.
• •This dish truly asks for peach season. Hard, scentless fruit will soften outside before its centre gains flavour, and canned peaches are already too tender to poach whole. When good peaches are absent, poires flambées are the honest cousin, but they are another recipe.
• •Arrowroot is not incidental in the first presentation. It gives the syrup a clear, delicate glaze; flour or cornstarch makes it cloudy and heavier than the source intends.
• •Flambage does not remove all the alcohol. Keep a metal lid close, clear the serving area before ignition, and never pour spirits from their bottle near a flame.

Advance Preparation

• •The peaches may be poached up to one day ahead. Cool them in their syrup, cover, and refrigerate; bring them toward room temperature before serving so the centres are not cold.
• •The raw strawberry purée may be made up to two hours ahead and kept covered in the cold. Longer storage dulls its fresh colour and fragrance.
• •Prepare the arrowroot glaze shortly before serving. Repeated boiling weakens arrowroot, so warm it gently and loosen it with reserved syrup if it has tightened.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 525g)