Playing wif' Fire

Fer Troll's Holiday Throwdown the theme is smoke or fire.

Well, Aunty done had a week! Okay. Three days but it FEELS like a whole week.

So I'se cheatin', but it is better'n nothin'. Ain't made it this week, an' this ain't mah own photo. BUT, this is a dish I makes fer festive times --it never fails to elicit ooohs and ahhhhs. It is delicious & dramatic. From the French Looosiana/ Cajun branch of the family:

Flaming Café Brûlot for 10

(Cafe diablo iffin' youse Creole --that is iffin' youse part French an part Spanish)

Assemble yore prettiest chafing dish, Great -Granny 's demitasse cups wif them wee spoons to match. Get out yore tongs too, unless smoked fingers is on yore menu. An' haul down yore mama's lovely silver coffee pot wif' the swan neck spout--polish til it is like a mirror.

Make 4 cups of strong cawffee. (Fresh ground is best) Pour it into that silver pot that ya pre-heated wif boilin' water.

What ya' need:

• 1 large orange,
  
• 2 lemons
  
• 4-6 whole cloves
• 7 sugar cubes
• (2) 2-inch cinnamon stick(doan use cinnamon poweder)
  
• 2 cups cognac
  
• 1 cup Gran Marnier or Cointreau
  

1. Peel the peel off the orange and lemon (do not get no pithy part of the peel! too bitter) into the chafing dish in one continuous orange an yaller spiral, if youse talented, an ain't drunk too much aig nog. Then squeeze in the juice too--throw away the flesh of the citrus
2. Stick the cloves into the orange and lemon peels. Pour the brandy and Grand Marnier over the sugar cubes in the bowl alongside them studded peels. Toss in the cinnamon sticks now too.
3. Now--the FIRE part: Light chafing dish burner but wif' a low flame. When the mixture is warm, tilt dish an' liquid away from yore self then carefully touch a lit match to the cognac mxture. ( of course, iffin' ya has some of them long matches it adds to the drama!)
   
4. now fer the BIG DEAL: Wif' some tongs grab the end of the orange or lemon peel an' lift it up straight over the dish, leaving the end of the peel in the liquid. Now spoon some of the firey liquid over the top part of the peel and watch the fire slide down the peel into the chafing dish! (Mayhap ya needs to trim yore eyebrows afore ya try this trick)
   
5. let peel return to dish, then lift the next section of peel into the air an' light wif firey liquid, the drop peel int o dish and wait fer fire to die out.
   
6. now add the hot cawfee into the dish pourin' it real slow around the edge of the dish
   
7. stir to be sure all sugar cubes are melted and the spices are infused into the cawfee.
   
8. ladle into Great-Granny's cups an' serve wif' a sugar cube on the side what has been soaked in juice of an orange-- expect compliments!