CREME BRULEE

I left out one dessert from my last blog post.  It was so out-of-this-world that I felt it deserved its own write-up.  I dedicate this post to Chez Andres and their infamous crème brulee. 

Chez Andres is an authentic French restaurant that my family and I went to in Alexandria, VA.   A recommendation by the owners of our rented condo, it proved to be a great suggestion.  We all ordered various dishes- beef Bourgogne, rack of lamb, the chef’s special- which was all fantastic and perfectly portioned.  Surprisingly enough, we were all in the mood, and had room, for dessert.  The five of us ordered 3 desserts to share, but the only one worth mentioning was the crème brulee. 

My uncle is a crème brulee fan.   I had tried it once before, many years ago.  It must have been a horrible recipe, as I never had any desire to order it again.  However, since my uncle loves crème brulee so much we decided to order it.  I AM SO GLAD WE DID!  It was possibly the best dessert I have ever eaten, and a dessert I plan to order again in the near future. 

This crème brulee was baked to perfection. Presentation-wise the dish was served in a round, white soup bowl.  Filled to the brim and perfectly torched to create a crispy, caramelized sugar topping.   This coating was like glass, though with a slight tapping of your spoon you could easily puncture through to the custard filling underneath.  These two together, the sugary caramel coating and the smooth, creamy filling, was the PERFECT combination.  You couldn’t ask for anything better in a dessert.  The creaminess (more like that “melt in your mouth” feel), that slight crunch from the topping, and the not-too-sweet-but-just-sweet-enough taste.   This dessert is so good it makes you close your eyes.  You escape to “Crème Brulee Paradise”, I like to call it.

Yep.  It’s that good. 

Again, definitely not a dessert you want to serve more than once a month because of the saturated fat found in the heavy cream and egg yolks.  You do get a few good nutrients from the eggs, but not enough to claim eating crème brulee every week is healthy.  This is a wonderful dessert to splurge on once in a while. If you are looking to expand your palate, order a small crème brulee and split it with a friend.  You will both be in awe, and will have a conversation starter that will make all your other friends jealous.  They’ll wish they could have been there to enjoy it with you.