The man who brought the world the cronut — a hybrid croissant-donut that has taken the food world by storm — has released the sequel to his pastry wizardry, a ‘magic souffle.’
As a follow-up to the sugary, buttery phenomenon that has sparked a global craze, New York-based French chef Dominique Ansel has created a “never-collapsing” Grand Marnier chocolate soufflé that hides a molten chocolate centre, all entombed in a toasted orange blossom brioche.
All week, Ansel played a game of 21 questions with followers of his Twitter account, challenging fans to guess the sequel pastry that was being whipped up in the kitchens of the bakery that bears his name.
The promise of being among the first to try his latest creation and a free cronut set his Twitter feed abuzz, with fans and serious bakers taking stabs at trying to decode Ansel’s mystery new pastry.
Meanwhile, those lucky enough to get their hands on a Magic Souffle — the bakery sold out in 15 minutes for its Friday debut — would do well to heed Ansel’s specific eating instructions which include consuming it on the spot immediately while it’s still warm, and biting directly into or cutting into the cube with a serrated knife as the souffle is tender.
Those who choose to enjoy it at home are also advised to avoid refrigerating or reheating the pastry which can either cause the brioche to turn stale from the humidity or ruin the molten center.
If the portable, self-contained souffle is anything like the cronut — which draws pre-dawn line-ups around the block and created an underground black market — expect copycat replicas to pop up all over the world.
After being launched in May, the donut-croissant achieved meteoric popularity in mere months, with bakeries around the world creating knockoffs — including major corporate brands.
Pie and bakery chain Greggs in the UK, for instance, is bringing the New York sensation to the British masses Friday, with an offering called the “Greggsnut.”
(Ansel has trademarked the name ‘cronut,’ generating knockoff names like Zonuts, Frissants, Cronies and Cro-Nots.)
Dunkin’ Donuts in South Korea was the fastest major commercial brand to catch onto the trend, releasing its New York Pie Donuts just three months after the cronut phenomenon took flight.
The Magic Souffle is available at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York and is priced at US$7 (RM23).
