Subtle Flames Enhance Desserts

Be it the fire-and-ice combo of baked Alaska or the rum-fueled blaze of bananas Foster, often fiery desserts focus too much on the tableside flame. Not that there’s anything wrong with dessert and a show, it’s just that there are more subtle (and perhaps safer) ways to work the flavors of live fire onto the sweet side of the menu—namely, techniques that add char to balance sweetness.

Charring the fat

“Scientifically, we...