Unless you're dining at a French restaurant, or a swanky steakhouse where the waiters still wear white coats and gloves, you probably haven't seen cherries jubilee on a dessert menu. And yet, it appears that a revival of the dessert is underway (which is exciting, indeed). This classic treat consisting of sweet and sour cherries flambéed in brandy and served with is simple yet sublime.
Cherries jubilee was a creation of one of the greatest and most influential chefs in history, Auguste Escoffier, who created the dessert for none other than Queen Victoria in England. In 1897, Queen Victoria celebrated 60 years on the throne with her diamond jubilee. All of the United Kingdom celebrated, and Escoffier himself developed cherries jubilee in honor of the momentous occasion.
Interestingly, Escoffier had left his post at London's Savoy in March 1897 and headed to Paris to the newest Ritz hotel location. The queen's jubilee was celebrated in June of that year. A queen by duty, Queen Victoria loved to bake and cook as a hobby, and it was well known that she had quite an affinity for sweets.
It's fitting, then, that his tribute recipe to her was a dessert. A dish fit for a queen During the mid-to-late 1800s, Escoffier had gained such a reputation for high end cuisine, that royalty from all over the world (including Denmark, Austria, England, Brazil, and Russia) would travel to his restaurants to experience his menus in posh places like Monte Carlo, Lucerne, Switzerland, and London. O.
