cognac

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i was reading mastering the art of french cooking by julia child about roast chicken and saw the recipe where you flame the chicken at the end in cognac. 1) has anybody done this? 2) what's a good cognac to have around the kitchen for this type of purpose and also shwillin in the snifter sometimes? also any general not-so-obvious tips about either roasting chicken or cognac would be appreciated.

― jdchurchill (jdchurchill), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 21:20 (twenty years ago)

Amazing - I've just posted about a thread that mentions Julia Childs...spooky.

I don't know if that rule about never using wine you wouldn't drink for cooking stands for cognac but it seems like an awful waste to set fire to it. Buy some (relatively) cheap stuff - own brand from a decent store for instance and keep the good stuff for drinking.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 21:55 (twenty years ago)

I haven't flamed anything with cognac, but we flamed peaches last summer with 151 rum that stated specifically on the label not to use it to flame food! We did it at 2 am, in a stainless skillet in the middle of the driveway, and it burned with a beautiful blue flame.

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 22:24 (twenty years ago)

jaq: you sound paranoid. don't you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen? i used to make bananas foster like that with rum; it's a good dish with vanilla ice cream. there i think the alcohol taste is nice and i guess it's really the same thing with the chicken: alcohol and cream. ned: julia is kinda "the man" so you bet your ass we are all reading and thinking about what she wrote as we post here. so what's a good kinda cognac? hennessy is what nas likes. remy martin is what dr dre likes. can't remember what busta likes . . .

― jdchurchill (jdchurchill), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 23:24 (twenty years ago)

No, we live dangerously at the moment. Plus, it was 2 am and we were 3/4 of the way through the 24-hour blogathon and we are old and not used to staying up that late setting things on fire.

But, after the driveway, we brought it in the house, tasted it and decided it needed more flaming. So we set it on fire on the stove.

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 23:29 (twenty years ago)

flame on jaq! but do buy a damn fire extinguisher you fool. now back to cognac: busta likes corvosier (sp?) right. which one should i buy??

― jdchurchill (jdchurchill), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 23:41 (twenty years ago)

calvados/applejack is great for flaming desserts. lovely with a nice tarte tatin.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 9 March 2006 17:22 (twenty years ago)

Sorry, I meant to get back on this but I fell asleep last night. Firstly, I don't take any notice of rappers drink preferences ever since I drank Cristal and thought "well, it's nice but...". Having said that Dre is on the money with Remy Martin - in honour of this thread I'm sipping the VSOP as I type - it's about £30 in the UK, so i suppose you'd be paying about 50 or 60 dollars in the USA, maybe? I ain't about to throw that kind of money in the fire. It's one of the biggest sellers in the world but that shouldn't put you off.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Friday, 10 March 2006 00:35 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

I just had some Chateau de Pellehaut Armagnac, and I must say it's too good to burn for some dessert spectacle. Use 151 rum, and don't worry about it.

― nickn (nickn), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 04:32 (twenty years ago)

My Mum flames a Christmas pudding in cognac each year. You pour a fair amount of the stuff over, then get a tablespoon more and set light to it while it's in the spoon. After that, you can kind of pour the flames into the bottom of the dish and it all goes up, whoof! Is that what you do with the chicken?

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 6 April 2006 09:22 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

Like Sherry, only a VS quality cognac is really necessary for cooking... I would suggest Courvoisier VS. For finer sipping cognacs in the affordable range (30-60) try Pierre Ferrand(ambre), Hine (VSOP), or if you can find it, Paul Giraud (VSOP). All three of these brands have exceptional cognacs in the XO range and up but the price can reach 200-400+. Cognac is also good for soaking peaches, apricots, oranges, and apples. As mentioned above, said fruits can also be lit on fire.

― Timothy Porter, Saturday, 29 April 2006 04:05 (twenty years ago)

And... what if I just come over to your place, then?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 30 April 2006 01:19 (twenty years ago)

I'll second Pierre Ferrand, I used to stock it at the restaurant and it's very nice indeed. Courvoisier is overrated, to my mind, but nowhere near as much so as Remy Martin.

― Matt (Matt), Sunday, 30 April 2006 12:53 (twenty years ago)

All the big names are overrated until you get into the vintages. Those are astronomically priced, but they predate the budgeted, dispassionate corporate mentality that now pervades those companies/conglomerates. But at the low end, you get consistency and good prices. They can't lie - The French Government regulates the VS/VSOP/XO rating system.

― Timothy Porter, Sunday, 30 April 2006 20:53 (twenty years ago)

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