"creme brulee" news and stories

Happy National Crème Brûlée Day!

Named for its "burnt cream" topping, crème brûlée is a chilled custard served with a caramelized sugar crust. The custard -- a combination of cream, milk, egg yolks and sugar -- is typically strained into individual ramekins, baked in a water bath then topped with sugar before undergoing a quick trip in the broiler, which creates a brittle layer that adds great texture when contrasted with the creamy-smooth custard underneath.

Bakingbites.com gives detailed directions how to start with a simple vanilla crème brûlée, but the custard cups can run the gamut in terms of flavors -- lavender, rosebud, hazelnut, even foie gras. They may not be traditional, but they're guaranteed to please the palate.

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• The family that runs Zankou Chicken, the beloved Southern California chain, serves up a cautionary tale.
• You want good Zacatecan food? You won't find it in a restaurant.
• Argentine cooking, however -- that you'll find at Carlitos Gardel, where the desserts are blessed... literally.
• Tucked away in Little Saigon is Ngu Binh, home of the rice cake that "will take your mind apart."
• Speaking of mind-bending, make this caramel creme brulee. You heard us: Make it!

It may be one of the most perfect desserts in existence. At its base, custard: what's not to like about a decadent combination of cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla? The creamy, sumptuous taste and texture is the bedrock of sweets the world over. Next, a sprinkling of coarse sugar: add an open flame and you have a delicately crisp, caramelized crust that could bring even the most rational person to their knees with its startling depth of flavor.

It's safe to say the French know what they're doing in the kitchen--now you give it a try with a coffee-flavored version.

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Are finances a little tighter this holiday season? If so, Average Betty understands your budgetary pain and wants to help you have a festive meal in spite of the depressing economic state. In order to cheer you up, she's produced a video that features a recipe for the holidays, Creme Brulee, a def holiday rap music video (by Denny Blaze, a.k.a. The Average Homeboy) and the Creme Brulee dancer. Betty will have you dancing in your seat and craving a dish of Creme Brulee like nobody's business by the end of the episode.

Source

My husband spotted crème brûlée stout by Southern Tier Brewing Company on a beer menu at at new local restaurant. Ordering it was a no brainer. We had to give it a try! The first thing we noticed as it arrived at our table was the smell. It smelled just like crème brûlée - a very unexpected scent when you stick your nose into a beer bottle.

The crème brûlée stout tasted like someone poured a ton of vanilla syrup into their beer. It was really sweet and very crème brûlée - like, but also definitely tasted like beer. Oddly enough, the combination was great! After we tried it, several other people at the table ordered their own. We drank ours with the meal, but you could just as easily have it for dessert on its own or as a beer float with some cinnamon ice cream.

I would definitely try it again. But maybe, I'll just pour some vanilla syrup into a regular stout instead. It would be cheaper.