This is our bestseller, and it’s something I adore. —Dominique Ansel, creator of the Cronut
Two months and 10 recipes was all it would take to bring about a new trend that has been sweeping through New York, generating a food frenzy that no one ever imagined would have such a global impact on the pastry industry.
Just last May, in a bakery in the heart of the SoHo district in New York, a seasoned pastry chef successfully created a pastry so incredibly unique and popular that its name has been trademarked. The bakery makes 300 fresh pieces a day and its sale is restricted to two pieces per customer, with patrons lining up as early as 5 a.m. with a queue that would fill up the street and beyond. In terms of commercial success this is as good as it gets.
By now you know I am describing the New York phenomenon known as the Cronut, a hybrid pastry in which the classic croissant meets the modern donut. It is laminated dough sprinkled with sugar, with a flaky texture. This decadent pastry eluded me on my recent trip to New York, so as curiosity got the better of me I asked my daughter Carmela, accompanied by my good friend Jimbo, to battle the long line to buy two orders, which they promptly described and devoured for my reviewing pleasure.
After a few days concocting the perfect recipe for my version of the Cronut, we were glad to introduce a class about this food craze. It was initially a test, to feel the water, so to speak, as to the popularity of Cronuts in the Philippines. With our Cronut classes booked all the way to October since we advertised, I can say that the Cronut has landed in the Philippines.
But there was more to my experience with Dominique Ansel’s Bakery than the Cronut. On a bustling New York morning at around 10:30 a.m. I was fascinated to see no lines in front of the bakery, thinking this was my chance to taste the Cronut. I rushed in, thankful for the wonderful timing, or so I thought. I was disappointed, to say the least, when the staff informed me that they were all sold out by 6:30 a.m. I could understand because I discovered that locally made Cronuts should be consumed within six hours or else the humidity and temperature here would not make them last very long.
The staff suggested I try their all time bestseller, Ansel’s interpretation of a French classic, the Kouign Amann, or “buttery cake†in Celtic, traditionally made in Britain and in a bigger size. But “DKA†or Dominique’s Kouign Amann — pronounced “queen aman†— is a pastry with a caramelized shell with a flaky consistency inside, made of layers of butter, dough, and sugar.
Once I sank my teeth into this delectable pastry I was smitten; in fact it was even better than the coveted Cronut. This particular pastry had the artistry of a classic dessert that would be served to royalty. Even Anthony Bourdain taste-tested it in front of a live TV audience and was surprised to see their overwhelming response in favor of the DKA over the ever-popular Cronut. “Generally speaking, the DKA is exactly what I like in a pastry,†Bourdain said. “Early in the evening, this is what I would be eating.
“Late? After a couple of cocktails? Standing there in a dirty shirt and my underpants in front of the fridge, about to watch a Simpsons episode that I’ve seen around 42 times? Cronuts, baby.â€
Ansel has succeeded in making his mark in the pastry industry with the creation of the Cronut, but his love and passion can only be appreciated with a genuine product that he adores enough to allow it to carry his own name: the DKA, or Dominique’s Kouign Amann. This is, after all, the best that his bakery has to offer, surprisingly making the infamous Cronut nothing more than the next best thing.
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