Creme Brulee

Several months ago, back in May, I had a sudden craving for the French dessert, crème brulee. Yes, the scrumptious custard with torched sugar coating the top. What brought on this obsession? Maybe because I saw it on the menu at a summer lodge I stayed at with a friend. On the last night we were there, I noticed the crème brulee combo on the dessert list, but to my horror, the restaurant had just run out. My sudden hunger for this tasty treat choose to come back and haunt me.

I decided to have an adventure and go out to all the bakeries and restaurants in town to taste their version of the dessert. To start off, I thought about creating my own. I was lazy and bought the mix packet from a local grocery store. It came out alright, it wasn’t great or anything. I found a very simple, foolproof recipe online that I tried and to my surprise it tasted quite good, especially for something I created. I rarely enjoy anything I cook.

My next step was to go to local bakeries, my first stop was Wagner’s. I was not happy. The taste was slightly bland and there wasn’t even the caramelized sugar on top. I dragged my friend along to Budd Bay Café after dinner one night to order just that one dessert. It came in an oval ramekin, I wasn’t expecting that. Texture: a little runny, it didn’t hold it’s structure very well. Taste: creamy, but not rich enough. Golden crust: yes. So it wasn’t the best yet, but it certainly beats the one at the bakery.

A few nights later, I found myself at another restaurant. I saw the circular ramekin come on a little white doily. Judging it by its appearance, though simple, it looked delicious. I tapped the surface. Crack. The creamy custard was the right consistency and rich in taste. My friend nodded in agreement. She probably thought I was crazy. Overlooking Capitol Lake, I sat there savoring every last bite of the best crème brulee I had found. That satisfied my sweet tooth for the time being, but of course the adventure continues.

Creme brulee picture uploaded from Google.com