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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

TWD: Creme Brulee

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Mari of Mevrouw Cupcake selected Creme Brulee for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. I still remember my very first encounter with creme brulee several years ago at a fancy restaurant - flavored with Tahitian Vanilla (which, incidentally, isn't my favorite) - all I went away from the experience with was the memory of a floral tasting custard with a crunchy top.

My second experience was much tastier, but complicated, at another fancy restaurant where the dessert was three mini creme brulee in chocolate, vanilla and something else that was obviously forgettable. It took an excessively long time to get the dessert, actually because their torch ran out of fuel and they couldn't finish preparing the dessert.

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So, now all my impression of creme brulee at this point was that I didn't love the flavor and it sounded difficult and fussy to make. It was a few years later when I finally decided to just try making it myself. I was so glad I did because, even though the recipes I tried were rather fussy, it was so much better than what I got from the restaurants. I liked it so much I even used a gift card from a good friend to get my very own torch. So now it is also super fun to make - well, if you are like me and like to fire up the torch in the kitchen. Dorie's recipe isn't fussy at all either and had a really great flavor so that was an added bonus - I'll definitely give this another try soon!

Don't forget to check out the blogroll for more creme brulee and I'm sure some rewinds. As always, get the book and if you want to join in the baking fun with the group then go get your book and jump on the baking wagon by Oct. 31st before you miss your chance!

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42 comments:

steph- whisk/spoon said...

fabulous sugar crust! they look like they came from a fancy restaurant!

ostwestwind said...

Great looking crust, you should do the dessert in a restaurant.

Ulrike from Küchenlatein

Manggy said...

Better than restaurant quality! That's quite impressive, Holly, I'm glad you decided to give it a shot! :)

Sihan said...

that crust of yours look fantastically even! great work! and i'm so glad i tried out dorie's recipe as well

Marthe said...

Your Crème Brûlée looks very nice!! I absolutely loved it and used star anise and white chocolate in mine.

Anonymous said...

I've had some bad creme brulee too - always such a shame, ruining such a lovely dish by making it overly fancy. your caramelized tops are beautiful!

chocolatechic said...

Your brulee is gorgeous.

Isabelle Lambert said...

c'est superbe Holly :) ça fait longtemps que je fais des crèmes brûlées, et ce n'est pas nécessairement obligatoire une torche...le broil fait bien l'affaire aussi.
les restaurants utilisent la torche car, ils n'ont pas le temps de surveiller la caramélisation.

Prudy said...

Your sugar crust came out just gorgeous! Perfect coloring. So glad you liked it.

The Food Librarian said...

Fab! This look great! I love your topping. Yummy!

LyB said...

So lovely! Don't you just love that caramel color? It's irresistible! :)

vibi said...

Is there anything, anything at all you don't succeed at? LOL
Such perfection... even the grandest French chef would be jealous!
Bravo... on this great classic!

Maria said...

Gorgeous sugar crust! Can I have a spoon?

Rachel said...

WOW that crust is gorgeous! I'm impressed!

Gretchen Noelle said...

Perfect top layer. Oh how I want to sink my spoon into this!!

Kaitlin said...

Love that caramel colour-- and your dishes. Your creme brulee looks great!

Jodie said...

I love that last pic. What a cute dish towel, too!

CB said...

Serio. Your caramel sugar crust is perfect. Gimme. Come on. Share. Just a little bit. HAHA. Great job!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

Engineer Baker said...

Wow, that looks absolutely perfect. No joke. I'm glad you found out that creme brulee doesn't need to be fussy!

Mari said...

You've obviously had a lot of practice because your brûlée looks perfect!

Cristine said...

Looks fantastic!

anudivya said...

First time here on your lovely blog. And that creme brulee caught my eye, how beautiful and perfect. I burn them inevitably every single time!

Anonymous said...

I love your brulee top. It's perfectly golden!

Anonymous said...

Holly, the topping is PERFECT. So even and such a beautiful color - SO nicely done!!

Carol Peterman/TableFare said...

Such a beautiful photo of a beautiful brulee!

Christine said...

I think you should open your own store! Your creme brulee topping is beautiful!

Unknown said...

That has got to be the best looking creme brulee ever! It looks perfect!

Anonymous said...

Your sugar topping looks amazing! And I bet the whole creme brule was amazing too...

Linda said...

OMG...your caramelized sugar top is total perfection!

Unknown said...

absolute perfection!

TeaLady said...

I have only one word for you brulee. WOW!!! ZOWIE!! SHAZAAM!! Okay, that's 3 words. But they were well earned. Fantastic looking.

betty geek said...

WOW. Amazing creme brulee pics. You rock. I am so adding your URL to my site. Thanks for sharing and excellent job! I'd love to dive into the screen with my spoon and crack that crust!

Liz said...

Oh my goodness, your pictures are phenomenal. How did you get the sugar to caramelize so evenly? It's, like, professionally styled. Love it!

Anonymous said...

Another person who spelled this dish incorrectly!!! Where are the orthographic accents? This is a French Dish!

PheMom said...

Dear Anonymous,

If you can't even remember how to spell your own name, why criticize others who are just dealing with the quirks of a computer program. Feel free to get over yourself and feel free not to come back. You aren't needed here unless you actually have something constructive to offer. Buh-bye now.

PheMom

Peabody said...

Looks like you got a good crust on your brulee!

Nikki57 said...

Haha Holly I love your response to anonymous. And the tops of your creme brulee look fantastic!

kimberly salem said...

wow, your crust looks fabulous, what a great color!! awesome job, glad you liked dorie's version! :)

Jules Someone said...

Ok, wow! That looks good! Nice work on the crust.

Rebecca of "Ezra Pound Cake" said...

Oh, I'm so glad the Season of Gift Cards is coming soon. ;)

Lovely photos, as always.

Jacque said...

Oh my! That is the most perfect c.b. I've seen yet! Bravo!

Shari said...

That brulee top is absolutely perfect!

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