Cronut Mission Accomplished!
If you're wondering what in the world a Cronut is, let me introduce you.
Besides being my obsession for the past year, a Cronut is a cross between a donut and a croissant.
The pastry was created and trademarked by Chef Dominique Ansel in New York City. It was first introduced to the public on May 2013- and since then, I had been dreaming about sampling this delicious little creation.
These little $5 pastries caused a frenzy when they first came out. If you didn't have the time (or want) to stand in the long line (more on that later) or was lucky enough to get one (they only make 200 per day) then you could buy one for $40 on the black market.
You read that correctly, the black market!
The bakery quickly caught on and implemented a 2 Cronut per person rule, to avoid scalping from happening.
As you can already tell, these little guys are kind of a big deal!
Luckily, a few weeks ago, I attended a month-long course that happened to take place in New York. So you can imagine what was on the top of my New York to-do list.
Yep, you guessed it- my Cronut mission!
There was only one thing standing in the way between me and my Cronut.
Remember that long line I was talking about?
It wrapped around the corner!
(I guess I wasn't the only one obsessed with trying a Cronut.)
As I mentioned before, I was in New York for a whole month, but didn't attempt to try and get one until the last week I was there.
Why you ask?
Well, if there is something that I love more than food, is my sleep. And quite frankly, the thought of waking up before the sun came up for this bad boy, didn't seem too appealing. But how could I be in New York and not have one? I would never forgive myself!
So early Sunday morning, I woke up at 5:30am, got dressed and walked out the door determined and excited!
Since I'm not familiar with the subway system in New York, I decided to make the 45 minute walk to the bakery. I didn't want to risk hopping on the wrong train.
Determined people, determined!
After my mini exercise, I finally reached Dominique Ansel Bakery at 7:15 am.
Doors don't open until 9am on Sundays, but if you want to have a chance on getting your hands on a cronut, then there is no way in getting around the 1-2 hr wait.
My friend Allison was suppose to meet me at the bakery around 7am but she was running late.
So it was just me, my hunger, the strangers in line, and the rain.
Oh I forgot to mention, it started to rain while I was in line!
And to make things worse, I decided to take the umbrella (that I had been carrying with me every single day) out of my purse to avoid having to walk around with too much weight.
But remember, nothing or no one was going to get in the way of me and my Cronut, not even a little rain! Thankfully, I chatted up a few guys that were in front of me and they shared their umbrella. Lifesavers!
After 30 minutes, the rain stopped and an angel appeared with samples! It's like my prayers were answered!
There's nothing better than free food to make the time pass by faster.
Allison finally showed up at 9:15am, just in time to go into the bakery! (perfect timing)
We were greeted with a beautiful display of pastries.
They looked delicious, but I only had one thing on my mind.
The Cronut!
As I was about to order, I somehow remembered that I had seen on The Today Show, Chef Ansel talking about his new creation- the frozen S'more. And the week prior to that, the bakery had unveiled their latest creation, the Pretzel "Lobster Tail".
So obviously I had to try them all!
This is what a nutritious, well-rounded breakfast looks like.
And this is what a giddy, happy girl looks like.
Allison was excited to try the S'more.
The Frozen S'more consists of honey marshmallow wrapped around a Tahitian vanilla ice cream with chocolate wafer crisps, served on a smoked willow branch and torched to order.
Delicious!
We decided to split the lobster tail since it looked big enough for both of us to share.
The "Lobster Tail" is a soft pretzel filled with peanut butter and buttercrunch, topped with Maldon sea salt and served with a whipped brown butter honey sauce.
After sampling the opening acts, I was ready for the main event- the star of the show!
The moment had finally come!
(insert cheering and the close-up)
So, I bet you're wondering...
Was it good?
YES!
I enjoyed it, although I would've preferred it plain, without the frosting and filling inside. The pastry dough with just the sugar would've been enough for me- that part was amazing!
Would I wait in line for them again?
NO!
I came, I saw, I conquered!
Plus, just the thought of waiting in that line again... no thank you.
If you're interested in trying a Cronut but are not in the New York City area and are not as crazy as I am to wait in a 2hr line, then you're in luck!
Chef Dominique Ansel is spilling his recipe secrets in his new cookbook. You can order his book Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes here.
You can take a glimpse of the detailed Cronut recipe, that was just released this week, here.
I don't know about you, but just looking at all the steps and knowing that it takes three days to make, makes the two-hour line, seem like a walk in the park.
If baking is not your forte, you can preorder the Cronuts online. Keep in mind, there is a 6 Cronut limit and you have to order at least two weeks in advance. The pre-order list fills out fast, so make sure you order ahead.
After a year long wait, I'm happy to finally be able to check off cronut off my list!
Now, I have to find something new to obsess over, any suggestions?
In the meantime, I'll...
