This is not a cheap attempt to get a million page views by packing a post with the word "cronut" to increase my SEO. Or is it?
No, this is an homage to the other incredible food hybrids that are now part of our culinary lexicon; their genius overshadowed by Dominique Ansel's deep-fried confection.
I have yet to eat a cronut (croissant + donut), nor one of the imitations, but I'm certain I'll love it. Who could possibly resist a deep-fried, cream-filled croissant? (Actually, I can think of one guy I know, but he'd do it just out of heady trend-resisting determination, which is exactly why we're friends, cause, MORE FOR ME!) The pastry, too, has some perfect marketing chops. Rather than stumbling out of a county fair somewhere like low-brow perfection that is the deep-fried Oreo, a French baker named Dominique in New York City developed this one.
Anyway, once I actually taste a cronut, I'm sure I'll tweet about it ad nauseum, but for now the cronut craze has me thinking about my other favorite hybrid foods. It got a little math-y, which is frightening, but indulge me while I list some of the greatest tasty mash-ups, aside from the cronut:
Pretzel + Bun = Pretzel Bun The best kind of bun for sausages. All other buns should stand down.
Waffle + Cone = Waffle Cone Nowadays this feels like a given, but #neverforget the brilliance.
Bulgogi + Taco = Korean Taco Roy Choi, you sly SOB.
Cookie + Ice Cream = Chipwich The hunky older brother to the slightly misunderstood, and maybe better, Choco Taco.
Hard Taco + Soft Taco = Crunchwrap Supreme A total game-changer. The Double Down and the Doritos Tacos tried to match it, but they're just tacky.
Potato + Pancake = Latke Latkes probably preceded flapjacks, but when I was invited to my first Hanukkah at a friend's house in middle school and someone offered me a "potato pancake," my mind was blown.
Chicken + Waffles = Chicken + Waffles Trippy math with this one.
Mayonnaise + Meat/Fish/Shellfish/Macaroni = "Salad" Thank you, 1950's, for mayonnaise and meat salad.
Dishonorable mentions: - Burgers where the bun is a donut cause I don't know what meal that's meant for. - Any vegetable other than a potato disguising itself as "fries," ie: "Zucchini fries." - Soups in shot glasses cause they're neither shots nor entire bowls of soup.
Photo via NY Daily News