Creme Brulee

[Siouxsie]

I'm a real fan of CB, but it never seems to be quite right around here. I tried it tonight at London on Fairmount and it was warm and soupy, like it had been microwaved! That can't be right, no? My thought is that it should be chilled, cool, or at least room temperature so that it maintains its shape a bit.

Any recs?

[etalanian]

I love creme brulee. and it is very disappointing when it hasn't been cooked properly. In my mind it should be room temperature, smooth as silk, creamy, and thick enough that it isn't runny but not so thick that your spoon could stand up in it. It sounds to me that they cooked the custard on the stovetop and someone forgot to put it in the oven afterwards.

I've had it in restaurants where it is too thick, or curdled, or really runny. I don't understand how a restaurant can serve something that just isn't right. I understand that restaurateurs have the bottom line to consider, but dessert is the last thing most people eat when dining out, so I would think the owners would want someone to leave with a good impression, not a bad one.

I try to always let them know when it's not right. Did you tell them?

Eileen

Edited November 24, 2007 by etalanian (log)

[cwdonald]

I have always found the vanilla creme brulee with fresh berries at the Fountain Room to be good.

I suspect at London's they left the creme brulee under the broiler too long and the custard became partially liquid. Either that or they had recently made a batch and it didnt set up in the fridge long enough.

[san]

when i used to work at davio's they had some excellent brulees- my favorites were raspberry and gianduja. not sure what they're serving now but i would guess it's worth trying if you are a brulee fan

[vigna]

Casta Diva serves a terrific espresso creme brulee. The food is always delicious at this BYO on 20th street!

Edited November 24, 2007 by vigna (log)

[etalanian]

I have always found the vanilla creme brulee with fresh berries at the Fountain Room to be good.

I suspect at London's they left the creme brulee under the broiler too long and the custard became partially liquid. Either that or they had recently made a batch and it didnt set up in the fridge long enough.

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Actually, if they left the CB under the broiler too long, it wouldn't melt the custard, it would curdle it. A custard will be runny if it's undercooked.

Eileen

[Siouxsie]

Great responses, gang. I'm going to go with the undercooked diagnosis or, and I'm still hanging onto this for some reason, my notion that it might have been OK beforehand, but someone said "Well, people like their desserts warm, so let's nuke it for a minute before it goes out!" The top wasn't especially warm, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't a broiler/heatlamp issue. It also had that kinda uneven warmth inside like you get with a nuked thing...

I didn't say anything at the time as my father gets miffed when I do that, but I'll do some diplomatic interrogation next time before ordering it. I live around the corner and will likely give it another shot because it tasted OK flavorwise.

Siouxsie

[jmbrightman]

Roselena's on Passyunk Ave.

[Lisa1349]

ruth's chris in KOP has good creme brulee. The last time I had it, it seemed a bit runny, but that was the first time in 2 years.

[gbredben]

While it's not a constant on the menu, Standard Tap makes a great Creme Brulee, not soupy at all and very flavorful.

[xtian]

Rx makes a really great chai creme brulee, served with pomegranate molasses. Its one of my favorites (and unfortunately usually keeps me from ordering all the other fabulous choices on their dessert menu).

[mandabear]

Fred Ortega's creme brulee is great at Lacroix