Cherries Jubilee

photo by Kevin Keeker

Sometime over our holiday break, I stumbled on the Cherries Jubilee wikipedia entry. I knew it was a traditional, posh dessert from my parents and grandparents' generation, but I never knew this:

The recipe is generally credited to Auguste Escoffier, who prepared the dish for one of Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebrations, though it is unclear whether it was for the Golden Jubilee of 1887 or the Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

Escoffier! Queen Victoria! Who knew Cherries Jubilee had such a hallowed history? Certainly not me.