The cream of the crème
By TOM PERRY tperry@dmreg.com
August 06, 2009 12:32 PM

Some may disagree, but pie would have to be regarded as Iowa's signature dessert. "Apple pie," in particular, Elizabeth Garrels of Mount Pleasant said after some reflection when asked recently. Now, given the affinity here for tried-and-true, all-American fare, Des Moines might seem an unlikely place to search for and critique crème brûlée, a custard dessert that is typically finished with a blow torch and, directly translated, means "burnt cream" in French.

But tasting and rating crème brûlée at 10 local restaurants is exactly what Garrels did over two years with four other women, all of whom fly into Iowa four times a year on business. When finished, they agreed their favorite was served by Bistro Montage, 2724 Ingersoll Ave., followed closely by the renditions of two downtown restaurants, Centro and Django. The five women, executive board members of the international philanthropic educational organization, P.E.O., headquartered in Des Moines, decided in 2007 that every time they went out to dinner, if crème brûlée were on the menu, they would order one serving of the dessert, attack it with five spoons and see if they could agree upon a best of Des Moines.

"There are some very good restaurants here and we found some wonderful crème brûlée," said P.E.O. International Chapter President Barbara Andes of Fullerton, Ca. A classic European dish, crème brûlée was first introduced on this side of the Atlantic to thousands of Americans back in the 1970s by Julia Child, the late celebrity chef who is being portrayed by Meryl Streep in a new movie "Julie & Julia," which opens Friday. "I don't know how other people make theirs," Bistro Montage chef-owner Enosh Kelley said of crème brûlée. "I stick to the classic recipe and use quality ingredients." Milk, cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla bean are the essentials of the Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée that has been served at Kelley's restaurant since he took over the place in 2003, he said.