The cronut: the next sweet craze?

Will there be a Bangkok cronut (a croissant-doughnut) craze similar to the one that greeted the Krispe Kreme operation not so long again? If New York is any indication, the answer could be ?yes?.

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Customers wait in line to buy cronuts, a croissant-doughnut hybrid, the brain child of French pastry chef Dominique Ansel, at Ansel's bakery shop in New York on June 14, 2013. AFP

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New York foodies in grip of 'Cronut' craze

Some hungry customers began queueing outside the pastry shop around 3:30 am. Others managed to keep their taste buds at bay for a few more hours, arriving at the patisserie around 6:00 am.

They were all united by a desire to sample the food craze that has gripped New York since its debut a month ago. Half-doughnut, half croissant: the 'cronut' has left the Big Apple's gourmets in a frenzy.

French pastry chef Dominique Ansel poses with a cronut at his bakery shop in New York. AFP

By the time the Dominique Ansel Bakery in the heart of trendy Soho opened its doors to the public at 8:00 am, the slavering customers were at breaking point. Within the hour, every single cronut available has been sold.

The bakery's owner, Dominique Ansel, says the crowd reflected the typical pattern since the May 18 launch of the the cronut, a food sensation powered by social media. On the first day, 50 were sold. The next day 100 flew off the shelves, within 15 to 20 minutes.

Since then the bemused pastry chef has become accustomed to queues of 150 to 200 people winding down the street before the bakery has opened.

Ansel settled upon the idea of the cronut after deciding he wanted to create a hybrid pastry that would be instantly recognisable as a marriage of French and American food cultures.

His revolutionary confection offers the delicate puff pastry of a traditional croissant shaped into a round doughnut, which is then deep-fried, filled with cream, rolled in maple sugar and coated with a light glaze.

It's soft yet crunchy, light and delicious, say the cronut's devotees.

A cronut sits on a plate at Ansel's bakery shop in New York. AFP

Ansel, regarded as one of the most talented pastry chefs in New York, said settling upon the cronut recipe was a painstaking process. "It took me about two months to perfect the recipe," Ansel told AFP.

It is so perfect that Jessica Amaral, 30, thought nothing of leaving home at 3:00 am to get in line. The two cronuts she is buying are a treat for her husband to mark the couple's eighth wedding anniversary.

Just behind Amaral in the queue stood Steven Go, a chef who arrived from his home in Staten Island shortly after 5:00 am, at the behest of his wife. Justin Gorder, a 30-year-old salesman, travelled an hour from New Jersey.

Irvin, a trader, bashfully admitted he should already be at work. Gina, meanwhile, arrived in a taxi at 6:30 am, clutching her four-month-old baby.

To satisfy the largest possible number of customers, patrons are restricted to two cronuts each. At first, customers could snaffle six at a time, but Ansel restricted it to two after discovering the cronuts he sold for $5 each were changing hands on the Internet at up to $50 a piece. AFP

hybrid – a mixture of different things or styles การผสมผสาน
brain child – an idea or invention of one person or a small group of people ความคิดหรือสิ่งประดิษฐ์
pastry – a food made by mixing flour, fat, and water. The mixture is rolled flat and used for making pies and other food; a small cake made using pastry  ขนมปิ้งรสหวานที่ทำด้วยแป้งหมี่
chef – a professional cook, especially the most senior cook in a restaurant, hotel, etc. คนครัว,หัวหน้าครัว
bakery – a building where bread, cakes etc are made or sold ร้านขายขนมปัง
foodie – a person who is very interested in cooking and eating different kinds of food
grip – to have a powerful effect on somebody/something  ดึงดูดใจ, จับแน่น,  ทำให้ตื่นเต้น
in the grip of – under the control of something powerful
craze – an enthusiastic interest in something that is shared by many people but that usually does not last very long; a thing that people have a craze for ความนิยม (ในช่วงระยะสั้นๆ)
queue up – to stand in a line waiting for something เข้าคิว, เข้าแถว
keep at bay – to keep under control ควบคุม (อารมณ์) ไว้ได้
taste buds – the areas of your tongue that recognize the flavours of food and drinks ตุ่มรับรส (ที่ลิ้น)
patisserie – a shop/store that sells cakes, etc. สถานที่ทำและจำหน่ายขนมปังปิ้งรสหวาน
sample – to experience something for a short time to see what it is like ได้รับประสบการณ์, ประสบกับ
debut – to introduce a product or service to the public for the first time วางตลาดหรือเปิดตัวสินค้า
gourmet – a person who knows a lot about good food and wines and who enjoys choosing, eating and drinking them นักชิมอาหาร, นักชิมไวน์
frenzy – (an example of) uncontrolled and excited behaviour or emotion, which is sometimes violent ความบ้าคลั่ง, ความตื่นเต้นมาก, ความบ้าระห่ำ
pose – to stay in a particular position in order to be photographed วางท่าถ่ายรูป
trendy – very fashionable  ซึ่งเป็นที่นิยม
slaver – to let saliva (= the liquid produced in the mouth) run out of the mouth, especially when hungry or excited หลั่งน้ำลาย,  ปล่อยน้ำลายไหล
breaking point – the time when problems become so great that a person, an organisation or a system can no longer deal with them จุดแตกหั
reflect – to show สะท้อน แสดงถึง
typical – happening in the usual way; showing what something is usually like ตามแบบฉบับ, ตามปกติ
pattern – a series of actions or events that together show how things normally happen or are done แบบฉบับ, แบบแผน
launch – starting something การเริ่มต้น
sensation – something very exciting or interesting, or something which causes great excitement or interest ความตื่นเต้น
social media – the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc. เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์
shelf – a flat board, made of wood, metal, glass, etc, fixed to the wall or forming part of a cupboard/closet, bookcase, etc, for things to be placed on  หิ้ง, ชั้น
fly off the shelves – to be sold very quickly and easily
bemused – showing that you are confused and unable to think clearly ซึ่งสับสน
accustomed to – made yourself familiar with new conditions เคยชินกับ
wind – to have many bends, curves or twists หมุน,ม้วน
settle – to decide or arrange something ตัดสินใจ
instantly – immediately ทันที
recognisable – easy to recognise or remember เป็นที่รู้จักกัน, จำได้ง่าย
revolutionary – involving a great or complete change
confection – a sweet food, especially a cake ขนมฉาบน้ำตาล
delicate – needing to be dealt with carefully; easily damaged ยุ่งยาก, ละเอียดอ่อน, ลำบาก, ซับซ้อน
puff – a hollow piece of light pastry that is filled with cream, jam, etc. ขนมพายที่มีไส้
traditional – of a custom, a way of life or a way of doing things that has not changed for a long time เป็นประเพณี,  ตามธรรมเนียม
coat – to cover something with a layer of a substance ทา, เคลือบ
glaze – a thin liquid, made of egg, milk or sugar, for example, that is put on cake, bread, etc. to make it look shiny การเคลือบ,  การฉาบ, การชุบ
crunchy – firm and crisp and making a sharp sound when you bite or crush it กรอบ
devotee –a person who admires and is very enthusiastic about somebody/something ผู้อุทิศตัวกับ, ผู้หมกมุ่นใน
regard as – to consider to be ถือว่า
talented – very good at something ความสามารถพิเศษ
painstaking – needing a lot of care, effort and attention to detail  อุตสาหะ,เพียร,พยายาม
process – a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
recipe – a set of instructions for cooking or preparing a particular food วิธีปรุง, ตำรากับข้าว
treat – something special that you do or buy for yourself or someone else อาหารที่น่ารับประทาน
anniversary – a date when you celebrate something that happened in a previous year that is important to you วันครบรอบ
at the behest of – because somebody has ordered or requested it ตามคำสั่ง
trader – someone who buys and sells things ผู้ค้า
bashful – shy and easily embarrassed ขี้อาย, เขินอาย
admit – to agree that something is true, especially when you are unhappy, sorry or surprised about it  ยอมรับ
clutch – to hold something tightly จับแน่น
patron – a customer; someone who uses a particular entertainment place, hotel, restaurant, etc. ลูกค้า
restrict – to limit จำกัด
snaffle – to take something quickly for yourself, especially before anyone else has had the time or opportunity
change hands – to pass to a different owner ถูกขาย