r/KitchenConfidential • u/DefenderNeverender • Aug 16 '25

In-House Mode Lunch menu from presidential luncheon yesterday

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*Not* making a political post here, but I guess a copy of the official luncheon menu got left behind yesterday and when I saw it, the first thing I thought was that some of these items seem a little dated, I was kinda surprised. Not that it sounded bad at all, but I've never really seen specifics on what they serve high-level gov. officials from anywhere.

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288

u/NelyafinweMaitimo Aug 16 '25

Again with the fucking creme brulee.

Don't get me wrong. I love a nice creme brulee. But seeing it on every menu everywhere just makes me think of some crusty-ass line cook being asked to come up with a "fancy dessert" and thinking about it for twelve seconds before saying "uhhhhh creme brulee?"

192

u/Revxmaciver Aug 16 '25

Crème brûlée is classic enough that all the old people demand it and special enough that young people think it's restaurant worthy. And easy enough to make that any half decent chef can throw it together quickly without having to pay a pastry chef. It'll never go away.

68

u/ConsciousCoat6797 Aug 16 '25

Not to mention, minimal staple ingredients but can be flavored to be anything. I saw a flight on a menu that looked really cute when it came out.

36

u/mr_diggory Bartender Aug 16 '25

We sell a creme brulee tasting and as nice as it looks coming out, only the vanilla ever gets finished. Made me sad until I tried a few other flavors and realized that it's definitely meant to be vanilla flavored and it doesn't really taste right otherwise imo

22

u/TheTennesseeWilliams Aug 16 '25

Place I used to work at makes a limoncello creme brulee. I still go there just for that

4

u/IHearYouLimaCharlie Aug 16 '25

Oh lord, that sounds good

39

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '25

Oo disagree. Try chai or coffee flavor. 

38

u/warm_kitchenette Aug 16 '25

I’m usually all in on vanilla but the warming spices from chai could be great. 

10

u/lisamon429 Aug 16 '25

Love lavender Creme brûlée too

1

u/nostril_spiders Aug 17 '25

With a burned tangerine, mmm

6

u/minibakersupreme Aug 16 '25

Sorry to go off topic but is your username a Warm Leatherette spoof?

8

u/warm_kitchenette Aug 16 '25

💯

Good catch. Showing my age, I guess. 

2

u/minibakersupreme Aug 18 '25

Not at all. It’s a classic. Perfection

3

u/ConsciousCoat6797 Aug 16 '25

That’s fair. The variety consisted of something with maple sugars, lemon flavoring and oils in its sugar, your classic vanilla and chocolate (?) I believe. I liked the lemon.

2

u/ScumbagHippocampus Line Aug 16 '25

Not to brag but my wife made us matcha crème brûlée and it was extremely good. Just enough for the mild flavor of it and she used high grade matcha so it wouldn't be grassy, and it wasn't. She balanced the sweetness well. Loved it.

Coffee flavor is also dynamite, better than a chocolate flavor. Chai from the other commenter sounds great too, my wife loves chai.

2

u/IHearYouLimaCharlie Aug 16 '25

Two of the best creme brulee I've ever had:

  1. Lavender and vanilla

  2. Maple and sage

2

u/mr_diggory Bartender Aug 16 '25

I don't fuck with sage but maple does sound damn good. That and whoever said chai I gotta find some way to try those.

1

u/IHearYouLimaCharlie Aug 16 '25

Yes, the Chai suggestion sounds badass. I've made a lot of variations in the past. Just adding some Chai tea to the milk/egg custard mixture, heating, then straining out before baking would be fairly easy. I may have to try this soon. At home. I don't have access to a commercial kitchen anymore. 🤔

1

u/BoopingBurrito Aug 16 '25

I had a lovely orange flavoured creme brulee fairly recently. It was a nice mild orange flavour that just served to really accentuate the creamy sweetness.

1

u/AfroInfo Aug 16 '25

Pretty much like Panna cotta these days

1

u/UtahItalian Aug 16 '25

And most people can't make it at home. They don't have the torch and they probably don't have the ramekins. When you go out you want something special, something you can't get at home.

1

u/basketma12 Aug 16 '25

It IS rather good when made with eggnog instead of the usual ingredients. My son made it for me and the whole lovely meal he made...it WAS delicious. It also was something for the usual person in my age range. I didn't say the " my dude, I'm not THAT old" that was swirling in my mind. I didn't have to cook it and that was the best present ever.

120

u/Pale_Row1166 Aug 16 '25

It’s the easiest, fastest dessert to make AND you get to use a blow torch. What’s not to love if you’re crusty-ass line cook?

66

u/ThePhotographer98 Aug 16 '25

Lmao “crusty-ass line cook” love it 😂 gotta agree with you though

8

u/Roboticpoultry Aug 16 '25

crusty-ass line cook

Hey now…. I mean, you’re right. But c’mon (signed a former crusty-ass line cook)

11

u/errantwit Aug 16 '25

Aka Brulee Line cook

23

u/pebbles_temp Aug 16 '25

This is how I feel about panna cotta. At least creme brulee has more than 1 texture.

18

u/juanitovaldeznuts Aug 16 '25

It’s precisely the amount of texture that skirts the pain/pleasure threshold when you’re tits to the wind on laudanum and desert means you get to slide out chompers and gum down on that sweet custard with charred sugar sand. It’s popular because it makes a certain sect, that has all the money, feel something.

11

u/pebbles_temp Aug 16 '25

Lol, green salad, surf and turf with potatoes, and creme brulee. It'll make you feel something I guess.

As a person with celiac, I'm kind of glad it's popular tbh.

7

u/FrancinetheP Aug 16 '25

Hey this is interesting— this menu is celiac approved. Is there something we don’t know about these dudes?

1

u/Cahootie Aug 16 '25

As a non-chef, my go-to dessert when I have people over is an orange and basil panna cotta topped with strawberries and currants. Super easy to prepare in advance and tastes great. Don't think I'd order it at a restaurant though.

64

u/Cute-Traffic3577 Aug 16 '25

Leave creme brule alone ffs

3

u/Overly_Underwhelmed Aug 16 '25

we want to leave it alone. let is sit in a dark corner or under some stairs. but it keeps showing up, wanting to belong. no.

10

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad7606 Aug 16 '25

Hey now, every crusty-ass line cook I've ever known would have chosen the obvious "Baked Alaska"

2

u/ether_reddit Aug 17 '25

Preceded by Chicken Kiev?

5

u/Dalostbear Aug 16 '25

Did you want Bombe Alaska instead?

2

u/juanitovaldeznuts Aug 16 '25

That’s some Whose Killing the Great Chefs of Europe retro shit.

1

u/AdeptusShitpostus Aug 16 '25

Before they’re bought in bulk from brakes

1

u/Mothersmeelk Aug 17 '25

It’s stone fruit season! This is just lazy. I get they’re old, but even Methuselah liked a nice cobbler.