Brulee

[pat]

In a recent puzzle, brule was accepted but brulee wasn’t. It may be that brule has some other meaning than brûlé, but if it doesn’t then I’d like to suggest that brulee should also be accepted.

[Alan W]

Dcitionary.com tells us that brulé, or brulée, can mean:

1   (in the Pacific Northwest) an area of forest destroyed by fire.
2   Canadian. land covered with rocks or scrub growth.

I must admit, this wasn't the meaning that sprang into my mind, but rather, to quote the online Oxford:

A dessert of custard topped with caramelized sugar; crème brûlée.

The Oxford gives burnt-out land meanings for brulé.

I didn't spot any dictionary offering brûlé as an option for the dessert perhaps because la crème is feminine, and the adjective has to agree with it, even in English, and even when the noun is merely implied. And I've no idea why the words for types of land don't have a circumflex on the u.

In any case, brulee (with all accents dropped of course) will be allowed in future, as a rare word.