When we say dessert mashup, we aren’t talking about pulpy cupcakes and smashed cookies. Odd dessert combinations were a big food trend in 2014, and so, Shirley Mistry & Yamini Walia bring you a list of those that are on their radar so that you can start this year on a sugary-sweet note
We love dessert! Take us to a buffet, and we’ll head straight to the dessert counter to see what they have on offer, and then plan the rest of our meal accordingly. If you’re anything like us, we’re sure that you’ve been caught in the sort of dilemma where you’ve eaten too many doughnuts already and are craving a scoop of ice cream before you hit the road, but it is nearly physically impossible to eat another bite. Fret not, because with dessert mashups, your dilemma sorts itself out. They are essentially combinations of different desserts that are served as one dish, and because two is always better than one, we were fans of this food trend from the get-go. So, take a look at some dessert mashups that we’ve worked up an appetite over and can’t wait to get our hands on.
Duffin
Can’t decide whether you want a muffin to go along with your coffee or a doughnut? Never mind, reach for a duffin instead. A combination of the two, a duffin has limitless flavour combinations, but one that we are can’t wait to get our hands on is the classic cinnamon-sugar. While they aren’t available in India just yet, Starbucks (in the UK) is in the middle of a fight with other baking conglomerates over the trademark of the word duffin, so hopefully, their outlets in the city will bring some in soon. But, you don’t have to wait to dig into one, because making them at home is easy. The doughy dessert is simply a spin on a classic muffin recipe. In our opinion, these cute hybrids make for an interesting weekend breakfast as well.
Cragel
Half a chocolate croissant, combined with half a bagel, gives you a breakfast bread that sounds heavenly. We love flaky, buttery croissants, but we also love solid, filling bagels. Combine the two, and you don’t have to choose anymore! While you can top them with jam, jelly or even a smear of cream cheese, cragels are a right pain to make on your own and can have disappointing results if you aren’t a seasoned baker. So, we suggest you wait it out until the cragel hits Indian shores.
Townies
No, we aren’t talking about a SoBo crowd. Half tart, half brownie, townies are truly exciting. These mini tart shells are filled with brownie batter, which when baked, spells chocolate heaven. In fact, these are so easy to make that you can whip up a batch immediately after reading this article. All you need to do, is pour your favourite brownie batter into store-bought tart shells until they are 3/4th full, bake them for 15 minutes at 180°C and you’re done!
Brookies
Another variation of brownies, brookies are brownies in the form of cookies. They combine the buttery goodness of cookies with the rich, gooey chocolate that is essential to brownies. What’s the best part you ask? They aren’t as crumbly as cookies or as dense as brownies, which makes them the perfect on-the-go snack. But, be warned, because they do contain a fair amount of butter and your waist will loathe you for going overboard!
Chocolate chip-cinnamon rolls
Think chocolate-chip and cinnamon together. It sounds tempting, doesn’t it? So, this cinnamon roll stuffed with chocolate chip cookies can easily be termed the best dessert collaboration that we’ve come across. Drizzle it with frosting in order to ensure a gooey texture. You have no idea how delicious these rolls will taste as well as smell.
Milky Bun
When we read about milky buns, our first reaction was to drop what we were doing and pore over scores of recipes that tell you how to make this creamy, dreamy dessert. A combination of ice cream and doughnuts, this dessert has the cakey goodness of doughnuts and the ice-cold, creamy texture of ice cream as its filling. Simply pipe ice cream into store-bought doughnuts (we predict that this dessert will be a winner at your next summer terrace party), or bake doughnuts from scratch before you fill them in. Either way, this dessert is too good to pass up on!
Cronut
A croissant and a doughnut are the premise for cronuts, which are becoming increasingly popular in the city. While we always go back to the simple chocolate or glazed variant, you can go crazy with flavour combinations. Drench it in maple syrup or top it with crispy bits of bacon for a breakfast fit for the gods. Yummy!
French Pancake
On a Sunday morning, nothing can satiate your stomach more than a delicious stack of pancakes. And, this French pancake is no different. It can be prepared in two finger-licking ways, either by dipping the pancake in French toast batter or by dipping the French toast in pancake batter. To enhance your tastebuds, you can fill the pancakes with anything, ranging from chocolate sauce to fresh fruits.
Wonut
If the combination of a croissant and doughnut is called a cronut, you can imagine what a wonut stands for. Yes, you guessed it right, the delightful wonut is a waffle and doughnut hybrid. Dip it in a sugar, marshmallow, maple or chocolate glaze, and finish it with toppings such as sprinkles, chocolate shavings and candied pistachios.
Apple-Pie French toast
Another French delicacy is Apple-Pie French Toast, which uses an apple pie spiced batter and sautéed apples with apple pie spiced syrup. Once you’ve cooked the toast, top it up with the apple pie topping and whipped cream. Finally, drizzle over the leftover syrup from the apple pie mixture and enjoy!
Brioche croissant
What do you get when you combine a buttery croissant with the most buttery bread of them all — brioche? 100% deliciousness! Fill them with chocolate, ripe fruit or simply dust them with sugar, a brioche croissant is a heavenly twist on two delectable sweet treats and one that we can’t wait to try out. The recipe is time consuming and requires you to make the dough a night in advance, but the results are well worth the effort.
Dessert mashups in the city
If your mouth is watering after reading about dessert mashups, you can satisfy your cravings, because a few mashups are available in our city as well. Here’s a list of places that serve such mashups on their menu.
The Trident Patisserie & Delicatessen
The Trident Patisserie & Delicatessen was the first in the city to introduce cronuts. Cronuts are available in flavours such as chocolate, hazelnut and lemon flavours and are perfectly coiled with extra cream and frosting that will satisfy your sweet tooth.
Theobroma
Cronuts seem to be a craze in our city, because Mumbai’s renowned bakery, Theobroma, also features these on their menu. They offer them in flavours such as red velvet and chocolate, and are glazed with sugar.
Suzette Creperie & Café
Suzette Creperie & Café, at Nariman Point and Bandra, specialises in crepes, a popular term for French pancakes that you can create a mashup with by mixing in fruit, ice cream or a dessert. Their crepes are available in several flavours such as honey, melted Belgian chocolate, nutella and organic jams. Apart from this, you can also create a savoury pancake at Suzette.
Indian mashups
Like with all other food trends, the Indian market is slowly catching on and modifying dessert mashups. Here’s a list of the Indian versions of dessert mashups, which will definitely leave you asking for more
Paan Ice-cream
If you’ve been living in Mumbai for a while, you’ve probably come across paan ice-cream at several ice-cream joints. Our favourite is definitely the flavour available at Ice Cream Works, located near Chowpatty.
Indian Spiced cheesecake
Tea is a religion in India, so an Indian spiced cheesecake, which is an infusion of tea and cream cheese, is bound to be a favourite. Head to Square at Novotel or J W Marriott in Juhu, for a dose of this delicious dessert. That’s not all! Square at Novotel also serves Bharwan Gulab Jamun and Angoori Rasmalai.
Apple Jalebi with Rabri
Most of us have lived on the delectable combination of jalebi and rabri throughout our childhoods. This classic dessert has been given a twist in the form of apple jalebis with rabri. Apple Jalebis are fritters soaked in rosy fragrant syrup. This dessert may not be available in Mumbai, but Alila Diwa in Goa features this dessert on their menu.
Weird food mashups
While we’re talking about food mashups (and we’d pick up a piece of any one of the items on this list in a heartbeat), we also came across some food mashups that are slightly dubious and seem to be a strange blend of flavours, whichever way you look at them. Take a look.
Nacho lasagne
Use salty nachos coated in that distinctively artifical-tasting cheese powder instead of lasagne sheets to create this dish. While we have no issues with eating the two separately, when they’re combined, the match is oddly unsettling.
Turducken
A chicken stuffed inside a duck, which is then stuffed inside a turkey. Does this sound like too much meat to handle? We thought so too.
Ramen Pizza
A pizza that uses noodles as its crust? We’re on the fence about this creation. While we love our noodles and pepperoni laden bread equally, mix the two together and you can’t help but cringe!
Chicken Waffle Tenders
While fried chicken and waffles are a south American staple, when chicken is coated in sweet waffle batter and deep fried, the result is a crunchy, sweet coating that gives way to moist, juicy chicken. We’d much rather stick to the original combination!