We came across this spiced and spiked after-dinner coffee while researching traditional dishes from Louisiana and haven't been able to stop thinking about it!
With flavors of orange, clove, and brandy, this dessert cocktail seems particularly suited to the holidays.
Café brûlot traditionally contains fresh coffee, cognac or brandy, orange and lemon peels, cinnamon, and cloves. The orange peel is kept intact in one long spiral, and some recipes add additional orange liquor to boost the citrus flavor (and alcohol content!).
Then there is one more special touch, after the drink is mixed, to make it a truly spectacular party drink.
The drink is prepared in one big heat-proof bowl - there are actually special "brulot bowls" used specifically for preparing this drink! Recipes seem to vary on the exact method of preparation - some combine all the ingredients together, while others add the hot coffee only at the very end.
What is consistent is lighting the drink on fire! This heats up the contents of the bowl and swiftly caramelizes the sugar, giving the final drink a slightly burned flavor (ie, "brulot"!). If the person preparing the drink is feeling skilled and/or daring, they can lift the spiral of orange peel out of the bowl and spoon the flaming beverage over it. This not only creates quite a spectacle, but adds an extra oomph of flavor to the drink.
Here are a few recipes from around the web:
• Café brûlot recipe at The Worldwide Gourmet (pictured above).
• Cafe Brulot from the Food Network (Emeril Lagasse)
• Michael's Cafe Brulot from Epicurious
• Cajun Cafe Brulot from Cajun Cooking
• Cafe Brulot from Chef John Folse
Has anyone ever tried this drink - either making it or enjoying it?
Related: How to: Make Iced Coffee
(Image: The Worldwide Gourmet)
Oooo, this sounds like fun! But, you know, I've never felt that alcoholic drinks and fire were particularly good playmates.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
I've had it and it is delicious and spectacular when the flaming alcohol is spooned over the orange peel. I have never had any real success flaming drinks at home (I'm probably too afraid of it to do it right), so I order them out whenever possible. This one was well worth it!
view lizaboo's profile
I remember encountering this drink when I was 12 years old and my parents took my siblings and I out to the Maisonette (a once famous and now-defunct French restaurant) in Cincinnatti, OH. The waiter had a whole schtick where he stuck the orange with cloves, peeled it with a silver knife and then dripped the alcohol down the peel while it was flaming so that both the orange and the surface of the coffee were on fire. Oh so fancy and memorable!
view lotusmoss's profile
It is a spectacular effect to soak a sugar cube in alcohol and light it on top of a cake. More exciting than birthday candles.
view Kate (NC)'s profile