Celebrity Life

The Korean street snack hybrid that might be even better than the cronut. You'll see. Introducing: Croffle.

Whether you're aware or not, this is a city that loves a new foodie fad, especially when it comes to pastry hybrids with catchy portmanteau names. And especially when it looks photogenic enough to warrant a single post on carefully curated Instagram grids. There was the cronut (croissant-doughnut) and newly released croissant-toast -- both wonderful crispy, buttery goodness courtesy of Dominique Ansel, then the brookie, which frankly didn’t get as much air-time as it probably deserved but you can still find the brownie-cookie creation at Richard Ekkebus’ Freshly Baked 2.0 pop-up in Landmark Mandarin Oriental. And now, the croffle -- the wonderful meeting of croissant dough and searing hot waffle iron. The familiar flaky pastry finding popularity as a delicious anytime-of-the-day summer snack. 

Now, with any modicum of naivety, the croffle, upon first notice, would come off as a one-time, ingenious creation by an inspired cafétier in search of inventive alternatives for an old waffle maker; but in fact, the original croffle was ideated by Louise Lennox, a discreet pastry chef based in Ireland, circa 2017. But that was just the average butter croissant pressed down on the steaming metal plate, garnished maybe with sliced avocados or strawberries as a renewed breakfast serve. In this evolved edition we're speaking of, the one that has enrapture all our attention, is of the hyped Korean street snack variety. It’s interesting. Exciting. Some would even say a considerable abstract masterpiece. Dipped in melted chocolate. Encrusted in sprinkles. Glazed with a sugary, crystalline coat. Piped with perfectly neat cream swirls.

And a great thing about the croffle is, apart from being essentially a crispier, flakier, crunchier version of a croissant -- which, what’s not to love? -- is its simple, easy-to-make construction that can be emulated right at home. Even in a groggy Monday morning state. All you need: croissant dough (the pre-rolled, frozen-aisle ones work perfectly, too), a waffle maker and a condiment cart with all your select breakfast spreads -- a tub of nutella of course, or, in my opinion an all-time winner, the crunchy Lotus biscoff, and you're on top of this next great craze. A five minutes squish on the machine, and done. A weekend luxury made even better for weekday mornings. We’d presume that the satisfaction in whipping up a breakfast serve as indulgent as a croffle will be the kind of motivation that gets you going for the day, if not as far as into the office to brag about your newest kitchen trick. It’ll be an impressive one.

To inspire your croffle discovery, below is a straightforward schedule curated for a day of dedicated devouring the versatile pastry. But should you prefer something less orderly and more I'll-see-how-I-feel whim, head to a nearby café, they're likely to have a version of their own.

Rise by Classified

9am brekkie: A fruity croffle

If early mornings routines consist of a healthy side of a fruity something, don’t let the croffle’s arrival dissuade practiced habits. Go for a fruit-topped choice, namely Rise by Classified’s version that come either with sugar-dusted strawberries, of if it’s proving to be a particularly difficult AM, chocolate drizzled bananas that will be a much-welcomed remedy.

Rise by Classified, Shop 05, G/F, H Zentre, 15 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2631 3454

Croffle Chronicles

11am brunch: A ‘PB & Pretzel’ croffle

The wonderful thing about brunch is that it’s basically a second breakfast. Balance the previous sweet with a savoury and go for Croffle Chronicles’s PB & Pretzel take. It’s an apropos palm-sized snack that you’ll happily gobble up and still have room for lunch. Golden toasted and beautifully glazed with a judicious coat of peanut butter, a salted, wire-thin make of the brittle knotted biscuit adorns the surface. Orders must be placed one day in advance.

Order here

Gontran Cherrier

12pm lunch: An avo-and-tomato croffle

With a reputation as quite possibly the quintessential form of a traditional French croissant in the city, it’s no breaking news that Gontran Cherrier would put its own spin on the croffle. Naturally, the pastry at this artisan boulangerie goes beyond surface-level excess with well-thought-out serves that’ll make for a satisfying lunch. Spy the latest corn cheese variations that also come in versions with smoked salmon and bacon.

Gontran Cherrier, Shop B207, B2/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, East Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 3468 2430

Slowmoffle

4pm afternoon tea: An earl grey waffle

If you’re partial to a mind-awakening cuppa when the post-lunch slump sneaks in, make the temporary (likely to turn permanent) switch to a tea-infused croffle instead, courtesy of Slowmoffle. This afternoon’s motivation: an artisanal blend of earl grey-infused croissant dough smeared with earl grey jam embedded with figs for a satisfying chew and a glistening coat of chocolate to finish. Recharged; reenergised.

Slowmoffle is currently still in its soft-opening phrase. Check back for updates.

am.pm

9pm post-dinner dessert: A tiramisu croffle

For the final grace note on this croffle-ised day; indulge in a variation on an after-dinner classic: Tiramisu. am.pm’s edition plops a generous dollop of the tasty mascarpone cheese, cream and espresso trio atop a perfectly toasted croffle served on a stick. Easy, breezy, delicious and, thankfully, mess-free! You can muster up the appetite for this, surely.

am.pm, Shop B, G/F, Grand Place, 560 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon; +852 2725 4318

(Hero image courtesy of Rise by Classified/Instagram)

The post Croffle craze: The Croissant-waffle Hybrid That’s Taking Over Hong Kong’s Cafés appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Gontran Cherrier is a French baker who wears many hats: pastry chef, TV show host, cookbook author and businessman.

But of course he's not wearing any hats in reality, because it'd be a shame to mess up that perfectly tousled brown hair of his. Fondly nicknamed the 'Brad Pitt of the baking world', he's the sort of baker that has fans who sigh longingly while watching him roll croissants for hours. And I'm not just talking about staring at his boyish good looks, I'm talking about that croissant -- with its crispy, golden shell revealing creamy, butter-scented layers of pillowy soft pastry -- that people willingly queue for.

[caption id="attachment_167285" align="alignnone" width="1500"] Gontran Cherrier is a French baker, pastry chef, TV show host, cookbook author and businessman.[/caption]

A fourth-generation baker with experience alongside French chef Alain Passard of three-Michelin-starred L'Arpège and the late Alain Senderens' Lucas Carton, Cherrier has taken his artisan boulangerie empire across the world, with outposts in France, Australia, America, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand and now, Hong Kong. It's his 57th bakery to open, and it's located on the B2 basement floor of the cultural-retail emporium that is K11 Musea. It's a big project, too, with an all-day restaurant, café, retail bake shop and bakery production section in the new mall.

So how does Cherrier do it all? We met him at his new bakery to find out and yes, came away with a few many croissants. Bon appétit!

In your own words, how would you describe your baking?

Family style. I'm a fourth-generation baker and in the beginning, I learnt how to bake from my father. When I grew up, I spent a lot of time in my grandparents' bakery. So I get a lot of inspiration from those memories with them. I also really like to use traditional items, a French pastry or bread, and then mix it up with flavours from overseas, like matcha, or even miso [which he uses in his specialty miso rye bread]. I will identify a popular flavour in that country and try to combine them -- make a bridge between the two countries and the two flavours.

Sometimes, I will also make special items: a traditional national pastry and then add a little French touch. For example in Japan, I made melon pan [a sweet Japanese melon-like bun] and added my [French] touch. So that's the other way around. But I really need to spend a lot of time in the country to understand. And then step by step, I can extend my range like this.

So other than your family, who else has inspired you in your baking?

I would say Pierre Hermé. We've known each other for some time and when I opened my shops, he came to visit. He is a really great master for me, so I get a lot of inspiration from him, too. Even when I was young, he inspired me. When I was maybe 16 years old, I discovered his work through Ladurée [who are known for their macarons] so it was quite a few years back.

What is your favourite bread or pastry?

My favourite bread is a traditional French baguette. I also really like sourdough. As for pastry, my favourite is a plain croissant. For me, that's the best because I love eating it with a coffee. That's the best pairing in my opinion.

[caption id="attachment_167283" align="alignnone" width="1843"] The raspberry cloud croissant is exclusive to Hong Kong.[/caption]

How do you make a good croissant?

Get good ingredients. The raw materials are important. You need to select a good butter to get a good fermentation and a good bake. A good croissant has crispiness -- a very crunchy outside and soft inside. To get that, you need quality flour, too. On top of that is the perfect baking time and temperature -- it's not about the oven, though. In fact the most important thing is skill. I have many shops around the world and in some of them, I have different ovens, so we need to adapt to whichever oven we're using.

I know exactly what I want in terms of consistency, texture and appearance, so my team and I adapt to achieve that. Sometimes, it's difficult and takes a long time. The hardest place to do that was Australia actually. I don't know why! But it took us a long time to adapt.

Why do you love baking so much?

It's my life. I like touching flour, touching the dough. I also really like to eat bread and croissants. It's as simple as that.

Why did it take you this long to come to Hong Kong?

I wanted a good partnership with someone in Hong Kong, and it was very difficult to find. With K11, we had a really good opportunity and the project is amazing. To have something like this, with the four different sections, is amazing.

[caption id="attachment_167281" align="alignnone" width="1500"] Cherrier at his masterclass in his new Hong Kong bakery at K11 Musea.[/caption]

Have you come across any challenges yet?

Finding the right orientation of the different sections is difficult [right now]. And the explanation needs work. We need to explain to our customers so they understand where to go for what. You need to go there [to the retail bake shop] to get your breads, or there [the café] for your coffee and pastries, or there [the restaurant] for your lunch and dinner. We need to spend more days, more weeks, more months to get this right.

Have you tried any Hong Kong pastries? Anything that took your fancy?

I've only been here a week, so I haven't tried too much, but I like traditional lotus paste mooncakes. I have also tried and really like egg tarts -- the flavour and the texture, it's really good.

Will you be adapting any breads or pastries for Hong Kong tastes? 

Of course! One of them will be the 'Victoria Peak'. It will be a croissant dough, made like a peak and I will fill it with a lot of space so I can pipe jasmine or chrysanthemum tea syrup and lotus paste.

[caption id="attachment_167287" align="alignnone" width="1426"] The different pastries available at Gontran Cherrier.[/caption]

What have you got planned for your next step in worldwide domination?

Next month we will open in Saudi Arabia, after that Argentina. And then at the beginning of 2020, it'll be the USA -- in the San Francisco area. So there's a lot going on.

Are there any differences between bakeries in France and the bakeries in Asia? 

Day after day, the difference is reducing. Because these days you have a lot of Asian bakeries that look like French bakeries, so it's the combination of everything that makes an international bakery now. As for customers, each country is different. In some countries, they might prefer softer, or sweeter.

It depends which country you're in, but in general, I would say that most Asians don't like it too sweet. So, I try to reduce the amount of sweetness. Even for me, I prefer less sweet. Another thing I have noticed is that more and more Asians like European breads, like sourdough, too. Their palates have developed a liking for this taste as well.

What are your top three best-selling products in Hong Kong?

1. Croissant, the plain traditional type.
2. Almond croissant, filled with frangipane and topped with almond flakes.
3. Kouign-amann, pronounced queen-ah-mahn, a round multi-layered cake originating from Brittany.

The post Worldwide Pastry Domination: Gontran Cherrier Opens His French Bakery in Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.