You know what is also delicious on pancakes or icecream?

Just melt a few tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan, add few sliced and peeled apples. Cook on low heat. When they get a little soft and release juices, add some sugar and cinnamon. Cook until the sauce is syrupy - it will look thin b/c it is hot. It should look like pale maple syrup. It will thicken once you let it cool a bit. You can add other baking / pie spices if you want or use real maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar instead of sugar. If you go easy on the sugar and cook for a while, you'll get apple sauce.

No recipe needed. Just eyeball it and use what you have in the house. No butter? No worries. Just add a little water to get it started.

OP here; thank you for all the replies!

I'm going to try it again later this week when my DH comes back from traveling. I think I'll reserve 1/2 of it for the kids, then cut the alcohol in 1/2 and do it again, keeping the flame on and jiggling (and also thank you for the tip to keep the fan off). And see what he thinks.

Maybe everyone will be happy! It's so easy to make, I'm going to figure out how to get it to please everyone.

You could turn off the burner while you light the fire and then turn it back on for the rest of the cooking.

You could substitute apple juice or cider for the calvados. Just cook long enough so it thickens. The kids might prefer this.

Also, caramelized apples are apples that have been sauteed in sugar and butter until soft and golden. They are not, as the name suggests, related to caramel/candy apples. I think this is what the recipe is calling for.

I actually light the booze WITH the range (I tip the corner of the pan towards the flame). Alcohol flame is not particularly dangerous. It burns at a low heat and you can even pass your hand through it quickly without it hurting. Usually when flaming alcohol goes wrong it is because someone is doing flaming shots and didn't realize there was spilt alcohol on the table.

You should probably keep a fire extinguisher I your kitchen, but that's always a good idea.

I think the reason they tell you to turn off the gas is to prevent a flame up when you are not ready for it. One can pour the alcohol in the pan and shake it. It will catch fire. What also can happen is the grease in your fan/exhaust system can catch fire. This is why you turn off the oven fan....so it does not suck the flames in to the fan/vent.
What most likely happened is the alcohol on top burned off. You may have to jiggle the pan as the flames lay down. This will release more alcohol and the flames to jump up(so be prepared for it).

^^ and forgot to write, thank you for the replies!

Anonymous wrote:We actually made that the other night and it did have a strong Calvados taste, which was fine with me (Bananas Foster tends to have a strong rum taste). But you probably shouldn't have turned off the burner since the boiling burns off the alcohol as much as the flaming. So next time use less Calvados and let it boil off longer (you probably don't even really need to do the flambéing step).

Ok so just to be clear, it's SAFE to keep the range flame on, pour in the Calvados, and light it with one of those candle lighters? Or should I turn off the burner, light the thing, then turn back on the burner?

I'm just scared that I'm going to set something on fire (like, me) or something will blow up---but I have no data to back this so can be easily persuaded otherwise--but just want to make sure that I follow the correct procedure.

We actually made that the other night and it did have a strong Calvados taste, which was fine with me (Bananas Foster tends to have a strong rum taste). But you probably shouldn't have turned off the burner since the boiling burns off the alcohol as much as the flaming. So next time use less Calvados and let it boil off longer (you probably don't even really need to do the flambéing step).

If it had too strong of an alcohol taste then yes, sounds like you should have let it flame longer.

Ok this recipe is in the Wall St. Journal. I made it tonight and the kids didn't like it…too strong of an alcohol taste.
I wonder if I did the following wrong:

First question: I turned off the flame on my range before I poured in the Caldavos and lit the stuff on fire. It flamed about 10 seconds, not the full minute that the recipe said it would. Should I have kept the flame on? I wasn't sure I'd set myself on fire; never have set food on fire before.

Second question, when the recipe says, "until the apples start to caramelize" how can you tell?

Thank you!

Apples Foster
Total Time: 10 minutes Serves: 4

¼ cup butter

½ cup Demerara sugar, plus more to taste, depending on the tartness of the apples

1 star anise or ½ teaspoon cinnamon

4 crisp apples, peeled and sliced

¼ cup Calvados or Apple Jack

Vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche, for serving

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and cook until it foams. Once foaming subsides, stir in sugar and spice and cook 1 minute to allow flavors to meld.

2. Lay apples into pan in a single layer and cook until fruit begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes.

3. Pour Calvados into pan. Use a long match or candle lighter to ignite alcohol. Boil until flames subside, 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve with ice cream or crème fraîche.