What Exactly Is Creme Brulee?? (1 Viewer)

[Craig S]

Hope I spelled that right... at any rate, in the past day I've learned about absinthe & pastrami from HTF, so i thought I'd give this a try. I know it's a dessert, but what exactly is it??

 

[Eric Kahn]

It is a custard with carmalized sugar on top

they take a bowl of custard, cover the top with sugar, get a propane torch and cook the sugar on top untill it turns brown, not bad but the flavor is subtle.

 

[Adil M]

I thought it was all that extra crap that comes gushing out w/ a newborn, not including the newborn or placenta.

 

[Joseph Young]

Adil,

Creme Brule is my favorite desert. I've tried ginger, banana, coconut, pistachio(!), regular creme flavor.
You can even buy Creme Brule mix in the store, but it's [rant] not the same!! [/rant] Unless you have the blowtorch, there's no point in trying it that way. Sprinkling brown sugar on chilled flan or custard, then broiling the surface for a few minutes, will give you an approximation but nothing to write home about.
I remember when a friend tried Creme Brule for the first time, she was scraping her fork across the top, muttering, 'how do I eat this?'
Joseph

 

[Adil M]

I like creme brulee, but I like to give people a little background.
Creme brulee is not vanilla "pood'ing" and no creme brulee is not the excess cream flushed during the expulsion of a newborn.

 

[RussR]

I recently had a fantastic creme brule: pistachio with a chocolate layer at the bottom. Absolutely wonderful.

 

[Jay H]

I've heard about it but after Adil's post, it will never be the same...

jay

 

[Randy Tennison]

My experience with creme brulee was on the Disney Cruise Lines. I loved it. The top was like eating sugar flavored glass. Well, it was better than that sounds.

A cruise is a great place to sample all kinds of new and tasty foods. I tried several new things, including Cherry's Jubilee (not my fave) and a Chocolate Suflay (sp?). Man, that was good. My wife tried Escargot. She didn't like it. But that's the great thing about a cruise. If you don't like it, they bring you something else! All at the same price!

 

[Roby Adams]

Was this post in any way inspired by the film "Amelie"?

 

[Carlo_M]

Sherry Yard, the dessert chef for Spago (the old location on Sunset Blvd) made a wonderful creme brulee. She would enclose it in its own, completely edible, caramelized shell.

 

[Ron-P]

Isn't it a lotion you can pick-up at Victoria Secrets?
Peace Out~

 

[Craig S]

Thanks for all the answers, guys (except for Ron & Adil )!

Was this post in any way inspired by the film "Amelie"?

Well, I remember being curious about it when watching Amelie, but immediate inspiration is a trip I'm taking tomorrow with a friend. We're weekending on the San Antonio Riverwalk to enjoy the Christmas lights. The restaurant we've chosen for dinner tomorrow (Boudro's) has a creme brulee with blueberries on their dessert menu. I love blueberries, was just wondering what else I'd get when I ordered it!

 

[andrew markworthy]

You don't need a blow torch to caramalise the sugar coating - that's an affectation of TV chefs. You can get the same effect if you have a very hot grill (the traditional way to do it).

Incidentally, a 'proper' creme brulee ('burnt cream') is a simple mix of eggs, cream and sugar. Flavoured concoctions, no matter how nice (and I grant you, some of them are wonderful) aren't creme brulees.