crème brûlée

American  

[krem broo-ley, kreem, krem bry-ley] / ˌkrɛm bruˈleɪ, ˌkrim, krɛm brüˈleɪ /

noun

French Cooking.

plural

crèmes brûlées

1. a custard that has been sprinkled with sugar and placed under a broiler until a brown crust forms on top.

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crème brûlée British  

/ krɛm bryle /

noun

1. a cream or custard dessert covered with caramelized sugar

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Etymology

Origin of crème brûlée

1885–90; < French: literally, burnt cream

Example Sentences

Torched dessert cracks like ice, crème brûlée with salted caramel mousse and cloudberry compote, fire and frost in one spoonful.

From Salon

If you go to a restaurant charging €19.50, your total cost for a veal steak with rice and a crème brûlée is just $23 at current exchange rates.

From Barron's

One character in “Never Mind” has “a face like a crème brûlée after the first blow of the spoon, all covered in little cracks.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Penelope, whose own tummy had begun to do flip-flops when she realized she had forgotten the difference between consommé, crudités, and crème brûlée, any of which might potentially show up on the dinner menu, had to give the children a gentle shove before they dared go in.

From Literature

And blended with Baumbach’s own neuroses, the film is a vain yet delectable dose of Hollywood humility, a crème brûlée that looks fancy and tastes great but isn’t so memorable after the thrill of cracking the top layer has subsided.

From Salon