Perhaps you’ve now heard of the cronut, the half-croissant and half-donut hybrid, invented by pastry chef Domnique Ansel. The cult favorite has been sweeping New York and the pastry world at large, and causing something akin to mass hysteria. One man put his wedding proposal on hold because of a shortage of cronuts, and another offered cronuts in exchange for sexual favors. This is serious, people.
“It has the shape of a donut. The dough is very similar to croissant dough,” Ansel, a 2013 James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef, told ABC News. “Back in France, we all eat croissants. [A] donut was something I didn’t really know before coming here to the states.”
Ansel’s cronut is made up of layers of croissant dough that are deep fried and filled with cream. Its insides are flaky and light and its shell is crispy and warm.
Layers of delicate flakes, topped with a lovely hued glaze and dashes of sugar crystals sure seems like the cronut could be a perfect dessert to wow your wedding guests, doesn’t it?
Want to try your deep-frying hand at making cronuts? Zen Can Cook blogger documented her best efforts to recreate the master’s creation here. Though with all the excitement over this crispy confection of happiness, I’m certain wedding caterers and pastry chefs everywhere are bound to offer them soon in a town near you. —Kirsten Ott Palladino
Photos: Robin West of And Your Bird Can Sing
