In case you haven’t heard, the Cronut™ is this year’s hot food trend. Chef Dominique Ansel came up with the idea of using croissant dough to make donuts. They are then filled with pastry cream, tossed in sugar, and glazed. It was launched on May 10th 2013 and since then there have been lines wrapping around the block (each one costs $5.00) at the Dominique Ansel Bakery with people waiting just for a taste of these delicious, if not over-the-top, treats. You can check out more about the Cronut at Dominique’s website, where you can mail order them.

The concept behind the cronut is simple so I decided that I wanted to try and make them myself. I started by making a batch of croissant dough from the Bouchon cookbook. I actually made a double batch because it is labor intensive enough that I wanted dough enough to also make ham and cheddar croissants as well. I also used a variation on Bouchon’s pastry cream to fill them. If you wanted to do this recipe without all of the work, you could conceivably using freezer croissant dough and vanilla pudding (results will vary). These turned out very good. I took the batch to work and watched them disappear in a matter of minutes. Give them a try and tell me what you think.

Cronuts

1 batch – Croissant dough (recipe follows)

1 batch – Pastry Cream (recipe follows)

Oil for frying

1 cup – Sugar

1 Tbsp. – Cinnamon

2 cups – Powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. – Milk

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/3” thick (Note: In the pictures I rolled the dough to 1/4” thick. I felt later that the doughnut would have been better if slightly thicker). Cut the dough into doughnut shapes and place on sheets of parchment, cover, and rise in a 100 degree oven (no higher or the butter will melt). Allow to rise for 20-30 minutes or until doubled in size. Since the dough is laminated dough, the reworked pieces are not going to fare nearly as well. I suggest reserving the holes and using them as well. In my opinion, they were better than the donuts themselves.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a heavy pot. Fry the donuts a few at a time. Add them to the oil and flip after 30 seconds. Fry until golden brown and let cool on a wire rack. Add the pastry cream to a pastry bag with a very narrow, sharp tip. Inject into the side of each donut on two sides. Mix the sugar and cinnamon, dip one side of each donut into it.

Mix the powdered sugar with a tiny bit of the milk, stir well. Add more milk, stirring continually, until the consistency is very thick but smooth so that when you press lines into it with a spoon, it goes smooth after about 5 seconds. Dip the top of each cronut into the glaze. Let stand until cooled.

Croissant Dough (adapted from the Bouchon Cookbook)

Poolish

100 grams – All-purpose flour

Pinch – Yeast

100 grams – Water, room temperature

Dough

500 grams – All-purpose flour

75 grams – Sugar

10 grams – Yeast

1 tsp – Malt powder

200 grams – Water

430 grams – Unsalted butter, separated

15 grams – Kosher salt

 

To prepare the poolish, mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours.

To prepare the dough, add the flour, sugar, yeast, malt, water, and poolish to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix for 30 seconds or until the dough comes together. Add 100 grams of softened butter and the salt. Change to a dough hook and knead at low speed for 20 minutes. In the meantime, place the remaining 330 grams of chilled butter between two sheets of parchment. Using a rolling pin, roll the butter into a 8”x9” rectangle. Chill the butter until needed.

Once the flour has completed kneading, tighten the surface of the dough by stretching it’s surface so that it is shaped into a large ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and gently deflate on a lightly floured countertop. Roll the dough out to be 17”x10” rectangle. Set the rectangle of chilled butter in the center of the dough, oriented so that the 9” side of the butter coincides with the 10” width of the dough. Fold sides of the dough into the center, covering every inch of the butter. Pinch the edges of the dough together where it meets to make a tight seam. Once the slab of butter has softened slightly (either in the time that you were adding it to the dough or by waiting an additional minute or two), roll the dough out to 17”x10” again, being careful not to tear the dough or expose the butter. Fold the same way as before, bringing the long ends into the center, pinch the seam, and chill the dough (I put it in the freezer) for 5-10 minutes.

Repeat this rolling and folding action 2 times. Each time, turn the dough 90 degrees clockwise before rolling. Chill inbetween each rolling and folding maneuver. Once you are complete, chill the dough for an additional 10 minutes or overnight.

Pastry Cream

4 – Egg yolks

1 tsp. – Vanilla extract

1/3 cup – Sugar

1/3 cup – All-purpose flour

1 cup – Whole milk

1 Tbsp. – Butter

1 cup – Heavy whipping cream

 

Add the yolks, vanilla, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until pale yellow and thick, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour (about 1 minute). Add the milk and mix until well incorporated. Add to a double boiler and heat, whisking continually, until the sauce thickens and starts to simmer. It may get some lumps (even with the whisking). Once the sauce is thick and has come to a simmer, remove from the heat and add the butter. Whisk until smooth. Allow to cool completely then press through a fine mesh sieve to remove any remaining lumps.

Add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until whipped to medium peaks. Fold in the egg mixture. Chill.

For the most part, I tend to fall on the purist side of most food trends. I like to figure out how to make the ‘authentic’ version of a dish. I abhor most ‘Americanized’ dishes. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love plenty of ‘American’ foods like hamburgers, pot roast, beans and ham hocks, and plenty of other foods, but I am not really a fan of corrupted foods like Taco bell and Panda Express. Let’s face it, most Chinese food in the US isn’t remotely authentic.

I have one very big exception to this rule, and that is when it comes to some of the Asian ‘fusion’ foods coming out of California right now. For example, fusion sushi is in no way authentic, I still love the authentic version, but it is innovative and delicious. With fusion sushi you will often find some of the fish has been broiled (so it’s not really sushi) and it often includes various aioli’s which adds richness and balance.

Another form of fusion food that is beginning to spread from California is Korean fusion. It is a mix of Mexican and Korean flavors and does a great job of capturing the great aspects of both! Often Korean fusion is attached to the Food Truck Movement since it likely originated from Mexican food trucks doing Korean food and Korean food trucks doing Mexican food. Actually, there is a (kind of poor quality) Korean food truck that sells burritos and tacos outside of the building where I work. While not every food truck knocks it out of the park, Korean fusion can be really great! I recently tried some Bulgogi tacos at Toi Tacos and loved them. I loved the combination of acidity with sweetness that comes from combining the bulgogi with the pickles, and I loved the flavor of the corn tortillas and the cilantro with the added texture from the crunchy cabbage (make sure and slice it as thinly as possible!). I decided that I had to find ways to improve on them so give these a try and tell me what you think!

Bulgogi Tacos

1 lb – Thinly sliced rib-eye steak (you can also just purchase a roast and ask your butcher to thinly slice it for you)

1/3 cup – Soy sauce

3 Tbsp. – Sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. – Rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. – Sesame oil

3 cloves – Garlic, minced

1/2 – Onion, sliced into thin slivers

2 – Green onions, chopped

2 Tbsp. – Sesame seeds

black pepper

minced ginger

1/4 head – Cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 cup – Kimchee, minced

2 – limes, quartered

1 cup – Cilantro, minced

1 cup – Simple pickles (from the Momofuku cookbook, see recipe below)

20 – Fresh corn tortillas

Sriracha (of course it has to have Sriracha if it’s going to be great!)

Peanut oil

 

Mix the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and onion in a large bowl or dish. Mince the sliced beef, then add to the marinade mixture. Stir well, cover, and let rest for several hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare the pickles at least 15 minutes ahead of time. Prepare all of the toppings and have them on hand for building your tacos.

Heat a large cast iron pan or skillet on high heat. Add several tablespoons of oil and wait until it begins to smoke. Add the marinated meat and spread it somewhat thinly around the pan. Do not stir! Allow the beef to caramelize on one side before stirring or flipping.

Allow the beef to caramelize well. It has a lot of sugar in the marinade, so if you cook it fast enough it will stay tender and moist while caramelizing the outside.

Warm the tortillas in a tortilla warmer. You can do this by placing them for 30-45 seconds in the microwave or until they are soft and pliable.

To prepare the tacos, lay two tortillas on a plant, one on top of the other. Place a generous serving of meat, cabbage, kimchee, pickle, and cilantro. Add Sriracha to taste.

 

Simple Pickles (from the Momofuku cookbook)

1 – English cucumber

1 cup – Boiling water

1/2 cup – Rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp. – Kosher salt

6 Tbsp. – Sugar

Stir all of the ingredients together except for the cucumbers in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve completely. Add the cucumber slices and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Stays good in the fridge for several weeks.