Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee : & Other Custard Desserts [Hardcover]

Debbie Puente (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1998

At last, creme brulee has been demystified. Debbie Puente has taken the complexity out of making this delicious delicacy, and has compiled 70 irresistible recipes that include a wide variety of silken and sinfully rich desserts, as well as some unexpected savory recipes guaranteed to surprise and delight the palate.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Debbie Puente is a Southern California-based food writer. She is editor and publisher of the online international newsletter, Foodstuff, and a contributing editor to other newsletters, newspapers, and magazines. Currently, Debbie is the Food Community Moderator for Prodigy Internet. When not writing, she works as a sales associate at a Williams-Sonoma cooking-supply store, and also is a regular guest on the cable show The Amateur Gourmet, with Jill Freedman Gorelick. Debbie is married and the mother of three boys.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Renaissance Books (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580630081
• ISBN-13: 978-1580630085
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't be intimidated by creme brulee!, February 7, 2002

By 

FreefFreefieFreefinatorFreeforAllFreeferoni "... (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee : & Other Custard Desserts (Hardcover)

This book de-mystifies how to create these beautiful, elegant, and palate-pleasing desserts, which are easier to make than most people think.

The dessert recipes very easy to understand; directions are clear and unambiguous. There are plenty of things that can go wrong when making creme brulee, but Puente's recipes are simple enough for most anyone to make, and elegant enough to impress the elitist snob at your dinner party. The pictures are spectacular enough to make your mouth water at the site(nothing I hate more than a cookbook without pictures!)

From classic creme brulee to (my new favorite) Bananas Foster creme brulee, this book has a creme brulee recipe for any occasion.

My only gripe (and thus, deduction of one star) is the size. It's a very dainty book - for a dainty dessert - but is very small and hardbound which is impractical in the kitchen.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars popular--and a big mystery... until now, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee : & Other Custard Desserts (Hardcover)

The most popular dessert in New Orleans (after bread pudding) is creme brulee custard. I have to admit that I had absolutely no idea what was in it or how it was made until I saw the author of this book on the Howie Mandel Show. After viewing the show, I found the book and the little butane torch at Williams-Sonoma, and the same evening, I made my first batch. I was amazed at how easy it was. There is one flaw in the book however and that is that Ms. Puente doesn't adjust cooking times for deeper set ramekins. Where she said my custard should be set in "40 to 50 minutes" actually took more like 60 to 70 minutes, perhaps even longer. For this, I deduct a point in my rating of this book. Other than that, everything else was perfect, including her opinion that using plain old white sugar makes a good topping.

Tom Simmons Sr., New Orleans

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Need to relax? Put yourself in heaven!, April 23, 2002

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee : & Other Custard Desserts (Hardcover)

I must admit to being a custard fan - custard and junket custard were among my earliest successes so think 7 or 8 years old. This cookbook greatly expands my custard-based repertoire, especially since dessert cookbooks rarely enter my collection. This collection of recipes includes detailed instructions to the extent that a novice cook could easily begin here. It also provides alternatives. For example, it provides two distinct ways to make "classic" creme brulee. This is followed by 5 pages of variations: Dutch Apple, Bananas Foster, Amaretto Peach, White Russian, Mississippi Mud ...

Similarly, a base recipe for Milk Chocolate Caramel Creme Brulee is followed with variations such as Butterscoth Caramel or Orange Carmel. There are beautiful photos of versions such as Lavender Flower Creme Brulee and Goat Cheese Creme Brulee with Papay Sauce. Want a variation on bread pudding? try Croissant Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. Like your food hot? try Ginger Chile Creme Brulee.

In short, this small volume has everything you would expect and a fair number of real surprises ... and, more surprising, the suprises work!