Hello Jelll-o! Butterscotch is NOT Interchangeable with Creme Brulee

No Sugar Added Rice Pudding—Crème Brulee
From Jello




Calories: 70 per 106g
Fat: 2.5g (1.5g saturated, 0.1g Trans)
Carbs: 13g
Protein: 2g
Ingredients: Water, Rice, Xylitol, Cream, Milk Protein Concentrate, Salt, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, flavour, Carrageenan, sodium phosphates, colour, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Natural and Artificial Flavor.

I’m not a big fan of flans, custards or any dessert so related. Those are a big waste of my calories since I can’t stand the taste or texture. However, I am a big fan of rice pudding (it’s the rice that gets to the Asian in me). So when I saw this in Safeway last week, I snatched it right up without reading in closer detail. Hey, I saw “Rice Pudding” and “70 Calories” and figured it was worth a try. Unfortunately I didn’t read the side that indicated “Crème Brulee” until I got home.
Well, as things go in my world, if you bought it then you finish it. As it turned out, it wasn’t much a chore to eat all 6 cups. I don’t know what I expected but the pudding didn’t look much different from other rice puddings I’ve had in the past. I guess I thought there’d be a sugar crust or dusting on top. The pudding part was more tan than white, the grains of rice were also caramel coloured, and the entire thing jiggled like a Juicy Jel. Not as fluid as a chocolate pudding. Taste wise, it wasn’t overly sweet. The rice didn’t dissolve into mush and I have to say that was a relief. It was creamy and smooth and really good right out of the fridge. There was a subtle caramel flavour to the pudding part, I think the rice had a coating of caramel syrup too. I was disappointed though because the overall effect was more similar to butterscotch Jello than a crème brulee. While I don’t profess a great knowledge of crème brulee, I was anticipating something with more exotic nuances. It wasn’t a bad pudding, just not what I’d hoped for. I think the developers should go back and re-examine the flavour profile for Crème Brulee. I probably wouldn’t buy this kind again if there were others.
This time I was lucky. Next time…I’ll read the fine print. But first, I’m going back to get the original.

On a nutritional note, there weren’t any hydrogenated oils listed (thank god) so I’m going to venture and say the 0.1g Trans Fats come from the milk products and cream, which are completely natural and actually good for you.

Pros: Sugar free, 70 calories, low fat, creamy taste, no hydrogenated oils
Cons: No fibre, little calcium (4%), doesn’t taste like crème brulee

Score: 7/10 (Try Once)