 What is a cronut? Think of a French croissant with layers and layers of flaky
pastry combined with a deep-fried doughnut.
The result is a unique treat that has created a fanatical following in NYC.
Crowds show up at Ansel's bakery early. The lines are so long in the morning
that each customer is limited to two.
In order to enjoy a cronut, a person from Lincoln would have to buy a $500
round-trip airline flight to New York City, grab a cab for a $50 ride from
LaGuardia Airport to SoHo, only to then stand in a long line and hope the
cronuts are not sold out. You could save a little money by taking a bus from
LaGuardia to the closest subway station, taking the R train for the
hour-and-a-half ride and then walking a few blocks to the bakery.
But there is hope for Lincoln residents who want to forgo the trip and enjoy
the legendary pastry right in town.
Heather Ferguson, owner and chef at the Corner Café and Bakery in Lincoln,
has created her own version of the cronut, which she calls the doughsant.
Heather is going to roll out her doughsant Monday morning.
Ferguson's version is not just something a bakery can throw together on the
spur of the moment. Her test batch last week took three days to craft.
The finished doughsant has 27 layers of flaky pastry that has to be built
three layers at a time, allowed to proof for 45 minutes, then the next three
layers built. This treat is a labor-intensive endeavor and requires much work
and lots of butter. During the entire process, the pastry has to be kept at an
exact temperature, no variation allowed, or the finished product won't be
perfect.
After the 27 layers are complete, perfect circles resembling doughnuts are
constructed and deep-fried in grape seed oil, again at a very specific
temperature.
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Ferguson is going to offer her doughsants in caramel, cinnamon
sugar, pumpkin spice, cream and custard. She is going to make only
about 30 to begin to test the local market. The test batch last week
left the lucky few who got to try them asking when she was going to
make more! They were crispy like a doughnut on the outside, with a
very flaky texture inside and the 27 layers readily visible. They
should come with a warning: "Addictive."
The Corner Café and Bakery is open for breakfast and lunch
throughout the week. All of the bread used in the sandwiches is
homemade, as are the croutons in the French onion soup. Thursdays
are cupcake day, with such unique flavors as maple bacon, peaches
and cream, root beer float, and bubble gum. The flavors change every
week.
The Corner Café and Bakery is located at 837 Woodlawn Road in
Lincoln.
Check out the daily specials at the Corner Café on Facebook or
call 217-732-2731.
[By CURT FOX]
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