DCDesserts: Brasserie Beck: Bread Pudding

Bill

Brasserie Beck's bread pudding is very unique. Instead of the traditional rasins, it's dotted with chocolate and cherries. It's topped with ice cream and swims in a pool of excellent creme anglais.

This dish creates a good combination of textures, most of which contrast only subtly. With all those elements mixing in a tight dish, this dessert is changing while you watch. The melted chocolate bursts and cherries punch through the soft, chewy, mildly-flavored bread. The ice cream adds even more sweetness and a cold splash to tame the heat emanating from the chocolate. This is the best bread pudding I've tried in DC, but its creativity may offend purists. It deserves a great rating.