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Crème Brulée
I promised I'd take you all back to Arnaud's; my favorite restaurant
in New Orleans.
You may recall my husband and I met up in New Orleans for his
birthday. This was many years before the big hurricane. Arnaud's is in
the French Quarter. You can check out this link at your leisure to see
a simple picture of the dining room and check out more about the
history and the food at http://www.arnauds.com/index.html
My story of Arnaud's begins with my selection of restaurants. I
research restaurants before I visit any city. I usually have 2 or 3
that I intend to dine at during my visit. Sometimes I pick the most
famous places but oftentimes I don't. When visiting New Orleans,
everyone seems to pick Commander's Palace or Brennan's for their "must
visit". I didn't. I decided the Arnaud's, a venerable institution in
New Orleans, but much lesser known to tourists was going to be my
destination. I made the reservation and we were set.
When we walked in, the restaurant was quite busy; especially for a
weeknight. The place bustled. You'd think you'd walked into a nice
cafe in Paris had it not been for all of the Southern US accents. The
music was French, the food was French, the decor is French, but none
of it was stuffy. We were welcomed with open arms and guided to our
table immediately.
I was blown away when this huge shadow descended on our table in the
form of our waiter. Dressed in a crisp white shirt, black pants and
vest, polished shoes, a bright white smile and the most fabulous charm
that any man could offer, this African American man was all man and
all waiter. He was also about 6 feet 6 inches tall and probably
weighed about 300 pounds. That explains the shadow.
The guy was not only charming he was a riot. His slightly sarcastic
tone provided quite the repartee during dinner. The service was
perfect. I love a restaurant that sees to your needs without being
over-bearing. Arnaud's was all that. I was once a waitress, so I know
how difficult the job can be and how hard it is to please some people.
Our waiter didn't have any trouble pleasing us; that is possibly until
the dessert course.
I was laboring over the dessert menu. I think our waiter had returned
for the third time and I still had not decided on what I wanted for
dessert. It was my husband's birthday for starters, but I wanted my
dessert to be extra-fabulous; something that would stand up to the
rest of the dinner we'd had. When I order dessert on special occasions
I am also quite picky about presentation. I read the menu, scanning
for things that will have a special look that will make them taste
even better.
Our waiter came by one more time and announced that he'd "take care of
me" and pulled the menu out of my hand and headed toward the kitchen
before I could voice even a peep of protest. My husband immediately
sensed my discomfort. I voiced to him that I really wanted to choose
my own dessert and didn't feel like having some stranger pick it for
me. I guess I was just too young to feel up for chasing after him and
scolding him for his boldness, so I sat tight.
The first thing he returned with was chicory coffee. Up until that
night, the days were when I could drink a cup of coffee and go right
to bed. You may recall from my previous story that the chicory coffee
sent my head spinning and I was up all night. I commented to my
husband that the coffee was so dense I'd bet a spoon would stand
upright in the middle of the cup, but you know what? I loved that
coffee. I drank plenty.
Then the dessert arrived. Our waiter swooped in with my dessert and
set it down in front of me with a spoon. He then smiled a wide grin
and waltzed off. I shrank in my seat. I was so disappointed I almost
started to cry. My husband, again, inquired as to my consternation. I
remember clearly telling him that this "dish" that had just landed in
front of me looked like melted scrambled eggs with a crust on top. It
sure didn't look like a special dessert that I had envisioned. I was
completely bummed.
I decided to at least grow up a bit, quit my pouting, and taste it. I
took my spoon in hand and tried to cut into it. I couldn't. The top
was HARD. Now, I was really miffed. I figured I had been given
something that might have been sitting around for days and was now
rock hard. The waiter walked by, checking out my progress and I asked
him, "What am I supposed to do with this?" He took my spoon, tapped on
the top and the crust broke open. He handed me my spoon and waltzed
away again. I have a feeling this time he was just around the corner
spying on me.
I dipped into the ramekin and got some of the yellow mass and some of
the chunks. I put it in my mouth. Next, came an audible moan. Nothing
lady-like at all. My husband smiled first. He just liked to see my
reaction. I think my eyes rolled back in my head and I smiled back.
Then I snarfed that dessert. The crème brulée was "to
die" for. I think I gave my husband a bitty bite or two but I
definitely recall wanting to savor every bit.
The waiter was walking by, and this time I got bold, and said, "Hey,
come over here!" - not in a mean fashion; more of a flirty fashion. He
proudly swished over and stood silent. I said, "I have just one
question". "Yes Miss?, he said". I followed with, "Is there perhaps a
mixing bowl in the kitchen that still has the remnants of this in the
bottom?" "Why, Miss?"followed. "Because I'd like to lick the bowl", I
said. "In fact I could eat a whole mixing bowl of this stuff!"
The waiter grinned from ear to ear as he broke the news to me that the
mixing bowl had been washed hours before but that he was glad that I
let him take care of me and offer this special dessert.
And that's my story of Arnaud's. The End. (Smile).
Crème Brulée
Serves 6
The crème brulée recipe I'm going to offer you is the
classic version; just like I ate at Arnaud's. Since then I've become a
crème brulée aficionado. I've eaten several versions,
made several versions and had all level of experiences. I've had
several bad ones in restaurants. Oftentimes they leave the creme
brulee in the refrigerator from day to day and it gets rubbery. Many
restaurants broil the sugar in advance and then put it in the
refrigerator and it gets completely cold. Not so with Arnaud's. One
fabulous element of the Arnaud's version was the creme brulee was cold
in the middle but the crust was very warm; almost hot. The
juxtaposition is what makes your eyes roll back in your head! So take
my advice in this recipe and broil it just before your serve it, but
let it cool just a bit so you don't scorch your mouth or the mouths of
your guests!
One more easy hint: when I make even the classic crème
brulée I usually put a secret in the bottom of the cups. I put
in fresh berries, a tablespoon of jam or a mixture of both to give a
sweet, extra surprise. Raspberries or blackberries are my favorites.
This is also a grand dessert to serve when you have company but really
need to have the dessert finished before guests arrive. All you have
to do is broil the sugar crust on top while the coffee is brewing.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
8 egg yolks
1/3 cup of white sugar
2 cups of heavy cream
1 tsp of vanilla
1/4 cup of white sugar for caramelizing
the tops
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and
sugar until the mixture is thick, pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla
and whisk until well blended. (You can also do this with your mixer on
medium speed). Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer over a
large bowl this will skim off any foam or bubbles.
Divide the mixture among 6 ramekins or custard cups. Place the
ramekins in a water bath (You can use a 9 X 13 pan and fill it with 1
- 2 inches of water). Keep the water about 1/2 inch below the rim of
the ramekins. I put the water in while the ramekins are sitting in the
pan and the pan is on the oven rack with the oven door open. This way
you can gently slide it into the oven without getting water sloshed
into your ramekins. Go slowly and carefully! Bake for 50 - 60 minutes
until set around the edges, but still loose in the center. Remove from
the oven and leave in the water bath until they are cooled. Then take
the cups out of the bath and put them in the refrigerator for at least
2 hours or up to 2 days.
When you are ready to serve you'll sprinkle sugar (about two teaspoons
per ramekin) over the top of the custard. Then set it under your
broiler to melt and caramelize the sugar. It will become a golden
brown. Keep an eye on them. This happens quickly sometimes. Let the
custards cool a bit before serving. The tops will be best when
slightly warm. You can store extras in the refrigerator for up to two
days.
Note: If you are putting "secret bits" in the bottom, put them in
before you pour in the custard. Just a few berries or berries mixed
with jam are great.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola
Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.
For more information on Zola and to see more of her recipes, visit her
Web site at
www.dinnerwithzola.com.
Send feedback to Zola at this address:
dinnerwithzola@hotmail.com
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