On Wednesday — It was Crème Brulee Day!

We started the day by taking a drive with Cousin Carla to Long Grove, Illinois — a charming village with fun shops and a wonderful chocolate confectionary.

In anticipation of Thursday’s Food of the Day — milk chocolate — I bought some fudge and a box of chocolates. It’s important to be prepared. I also bought some pixy stixs, which I’ve been passionate about this summer, and Cousin Carla introduced Cole to Zotz candy.

Do you remember them? A candy with a fizzy, sour center. At first, it looks and tastes like a regular hard candy, but it soon oozes a sour powder that starts to fizz in your mouth. Now do you remember them? ?

After we had enjoyed a delightful lunch of soup and sandwiches, we headed back to Chicago to make Crème Brulee.

Odd as it may seem, we’ve had three recipes calling for vanilla beans this summer. We have improvised with vanilla, but for a dessert as fancy as crème brulee, we felt that only the real thing would do. I waited in the car while Carla ran into the Fresh Market to scout out vanilla beans, and Cole went to Bed, Bath, and Bring It Back to buy a cooking torch. We have a torch somewhere at home, but it’s been misplaced AGAIN. Cole is sure it’s some place. I sat in the car, wondering how many places a full-size blow torch could be. Soon my phone rang, and it was Cole informing me that he needed an adult present to buy the cooking torch and the butane. I think this is a good thing.

Cousin Carla succeeded with her mission to locate vanilla bean.

When we returned home, Cousin Carla offered to help Cole make Crème Brulee. Being the hostess with the mostest, I graciously stepped aside, let her take over, and went into the living room to eat a chocolate-covered strawberry.

Cousin Carla and Cole made a pretty good cooking team — I think. If they didn’t, I was enjoying my chocolate stupor too much to notice.

When the timer went off, Cole removed the pan of brulee from the oven, but the pan tilted, splashing brulee all over the kitchen floor. Three of the Crème brulee were unharmed. My floor is crème sticky. However, I’m just so happy that Cole was not burnt, bless his heart.

Emily (my food-for-a-day for a year partner) May have had a better idea….

Torch not included...

Beautiful, delicious, and they don’t stick to your floors!

While our crème brulee cooled to room temperature, we headed over to Sabatino’s, a Chicago neighborhood restaurant for their Wednesday Lobster Special. Apart from the fact that the server dropped Cousins Carla’s salad (dressed in olive oil!) into her lap, the kid serving water kept splashing us with ice cubes, and that I realized (when my phone rang after we ordered Baked Alaska) that I had to be home to check a camper into camp . . . dinner was wonderful. We are not ones to let a few mishaps spoil a lobster dinner.

Back home again, it was time to add the finishing torch to the Crème Brulee and celebrate the day.

Did you follow our Wednesday’s food trail? It started with Zotz and pixie sticks, progressed to sandwiches and soup, moved on to chocolate covered strawberries, and was followed up by a lobster dinner and Baked Alaska. The grand finale was the Food of the Day: Crème Brulee. Ta da!

Next, we muse about chili dogs and milk chocolate — Cousin Carla’s favorite!

Musing is more fun with you, so leave a comment if you have a chance. Odd Loves Company!

♥
Kb