I consider occasional indulgences to be one of the joys of cycling every day. Which is to say: I ate a cronut, and I loved it.
I know many food cultures have their own version of fried dough treats, but I'm surprised the doughnut spinoff originated somewhere besides Canada, such is our fanaticism/love affair with a certain dealer supplier chain. I suspect that's because partly we were busy riffing on the Priestly.
So this particular genius was left to a New York-based chef with French roots. The cronut – shorthand for crossaint + doughnut = love – was born in May, and has quickly spread.
Its imitators are known by other names – the posher-sounding frissant, the call-it-what-it-is croissant-doughnut – but the idea is the same: lots of layers of croissant-like dough (and butter) cut into a doughnut shape and fried. Extras, such as pastry cream, glaze and sugar topping, are de rigeur.
You probably should try one, just to say you did. And because the sugar-fat ratio is pretty much bang on – how can you say no? But what you shouldn't do, of course, is the math.
The exact calorie count is unknown, but ranges from half your daily needs to – oh, I don't know – a million? (A cronut burger at the CNE in Toronto is reportedly 7,500 calories. To be fair to the cronut, a regular doughnut isn't exactly a salad, either.)
I figure it will take me a week of leisurely commuting to use the equivalent number of calories. Gulp.
To get your fix in Victoria, head to Sofia Bakery on Fort Street, between Douglas and Blanshard. If the smell/crowds don't draw you, the arrows chalked onto the sidewalk will point the way.
And ride your bike there, so that you can kinda sorta justify the treat.
