Crème brûlée is one dessert I can never pass up when it appears on a menu at a great spot.  The velvety feel of the custard provides a sensual treat for my mouth while the crunch of a perfectly caramelized sugar top adds that fun extra textural dimension.  I think a simple infused vanilla bean flavor is my favorite.  That's, of course, if all the elements come together properly.  There's a lot that can turn the dish into something not quite special, which is why it's always fun to continue the search for the perfect rendition.  Little did I think that journey might add a new chapter in the GREAT TASTE kitchen in our KRUU studio.

Four students from Bloomfield High School, Colton Roberts, Josh Showalter, Brandon Cassady, and Alex Martin, are going to fix their special version, Mocha Ancho Crème Brûlée, and I'll judge how it stacks up with taste memories from desserts eaten at many amazing spots.  The composition of the dessert was developed by Colton after researching numerous other crème brûlée recipes.  (Unless they read this blog post ahead of time they won't know that I'm going to throw them a slight curve when they see the ingredients.)  But this challenge is no big deal for these guys since they recently participated in an Iron Chef competition with other high school students organized by Chef Gordon Rader, the director of the Indian Hills Culinary Arts Program. 

Don't miss one exciting moment including the scary task they'll have of cooking their creation in the studio's high-tech (hmm?) toaster oven.  You can catch the action at kruufm.com or come by for a taste.  I'm eager to see how they handle torching the sugar. 

GREAT TASTE airs Wednesday at 7:00 PM CDT and replays Friday at 7:00 AM CDT.  Share some culinary moments with us.  Really you never know what's going to happen and neither do we.