Appreciations      11/20/2008  

A New Doughnut You Have To Ask For, But Don’t Ask Too Much


The Feedbag is no stranger to the indulgences at Mark Israel’s Doughnut Plant. Oh, how we wax on about the PB&J doughnut, the tres leches doughnut, the coconut cream doughnut. (And the fresh pear water. And the homemade plum jelly. And the jolly man who works the counter.) But two days ago the pastry Mecca quietly added a new member to its year-round roster: the crème brulee doughnut. Israel, known for having spent five years perfecting his cake doughnut recipe, worked on his new concept for a full year before reaching a satisfactory formula. So we visited the Plant this morning to see how well the new ‘nuts stood up to our old favorites.


Seeing none of the fabled pastries on display, we sidled up to Israel himself and asked him, if it was possible, perhaps, for one—no, two—crème brulee doughnuts, please. Israel disappeared into the back, presumably to hand-pipe his vanilla custard into doughnut rounds, glaze the tops with sugar, and torch away. What he returned with were two miniature doughnut pucks, only half the size of a typical Plant doughnut, glossy on top and soft around the middle. It has been a year well spent for Israel, for his newest invention is everything you’d expect of a crème brulee doughnut, and more. The caramelized sugar topping was hearty enough to retain its crunch after a long car ride, and didn’t flake away like some thinner brulees do. As opposed to getting in the way, the pastry was a perfect intermediary between the crisp and the velvety, adding a yeasty bite to a dessert that was the marriage of two extremes. And the custard was thick and luscious, but when he suggested that perhaps extra egg yolks gave the crème its rich, yellow color, Israel said only, “Just love it.” Really? You won’t let the Feedbag in our your doughnutty secrets? “Just love it,” he said again. And love it we did.

The newcomer costs the same price as the other yeast doughnuts ($2.75) at half the size, but each one needs to be piped and finished by hand. Don’t hesitate because they sell out fast; you won’t regret it.

-Stephanie Shih

Comments

3 Responses to “A New Doughnut You Have To Ask For, But Don’t Ask Too Much”

  1. NYC Food Guy.com on November 20th, 2008 6:26 pm

    That is some sultry doughnut porn.

  2. From Dollars to Doughnuts - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com on November 21st, 2008 11:45 am

    [...] are so 2007. Welcome the era of the doughnut. More about Mark Israel’s Doughnut Plant and that luscious crème brûlée doughnut. [The [...]

  3. Oatmeal Cookie Guy on November 21st, 2008 7:44 pm

    Holy Moly! I’m going there tomorrow to get one. These weren’t even on the menu last Saturday!

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