Damaeus > wrote:

>I made creme brulee for the first time a few weeks ago. I had never had
>it before. I had only had creme caramel, which I did like. What
>surprised me about the creme brulee is that the creme part wasn't very
>sweet at all. There was a hint of sweetness, but not enough to really
>overcome the taste of plain old cream. As a result, I didn't really like
>the creme brulee even as much as a container of Snack Pack vanilla
>pudding. I assumed the caramelized sugar on top was going to be a
>sufficient sweetener for it overall. If it hadn't been for the sugar
>topping, I wouldn't have liked it at all.
>
>Now for the surprising part. I was embarrassed about having made
>something that wasn't so good, but I decided to share a couple with my
>friend's parents. She'd had creme brulee before and she told me that mine
>was excellent. Maybe I just don't like a "proper" creme brulee.

Methinks that's the 'problem'. To me, the texture & flavor of the
custard is the star. The crunchy sweetness of the sugar is the
'icing' on the cake. Nothing says you can't brulée your pudding.
Just remove it from the plastic container first.<g> [I think I see a
Sandra Lee show in the making.]

>
>So what about it? Is the creme part of a creme brulee supposed to be
>sweet? How sweet?
>
>I used Alton Brown's recipe here, which has 5/5 stars, so apparently
>people who have had creme brulee find his version just fine:
>
>http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html
>

Very different from the one I use.
Mine;
[custard]
3 slightly beaten eggs
2 c. light cream
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
[topping]
1/4 c. packed brown sugar

Alton uses 6 yolks-- twice the volume of cream [and not light]-
actually twice the sugar- and a vanilla bean instead of the extract.

I think I'll stick with mine-- but if I was served Alton's, I doubt
I'd turn my nose up at it.<g>

>
>On a side note, I'm thinking of trying something like a "creme cheese
>brulee", adding cream cheese to the cream. I think it would offset the
>"plain cream" flavor and give it an interesting twist.

I haven't made mine in a while and was wondering if my recipe used
Crème Fraîche, or Mascarpone.

Jim