If the recipe is for preserving fresh fruit, both the flavor and the alcoholic content are absorbed by the fruit. But when spirits are added to cooked dishes or flambeed, they are used only for their flavor as the alcohol will evaporate during cooking or burn off when it is ignited. It is also usually for the flavor alone that alcohol is added to cold desserts, fruit salads, cakes and cream fillings for pastries, as the quantity used is not large enough to have a significant alcoholic effect. If too much is added the dish will be too thin and watery and the taste overpowering.
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Asian Cooking **
