Meet the Cruffins!

Leave it to Casper & Gambini’s to deliver fresh, bold, and consistently delicious ideas. Their latest novelty is a cruffin, a fusion of croissant and muffin that owes its origins to various bakeries in North America. Mr. Holmes Bakehouse in San Francisco popularized and trademarked the cruffin, and its demand soared following the worldwide phenomenon known as the cronut: half croissant, half donut.

But back to Lebanon’s own Casper, who this year celebrates 20 years of business across the Middle East. Today it released a three-member family of cruffins, dubbed Blueberry Heaven, Sweet Vanilla, and Simply Nutella.


Casper & Gambini's new line of cruffins


First, the pastry, which is formed by proving and baking laminated dough in a muffin mold. Allowed to cool, it is then hollowed out to be piped with three superb fillings. 

You’ll immediately notice that the cruffin doesn’t suffer from a flaky, buttery consistency as does its parent, the croissant. Sure, the layers are conspicuously there, but the texture is cakier, stemming from its muffin pedigree. The result is one incredible pastry I’d readily take any day over croissant or muffin.


Aerial view (from top): Blueberry Heaven, Sweet Vanilla, and Simply Nutella


My favorite comes filled with the blueberry coulis, a not-too-rich reduction of pureed and cooked fruit accompanied by four fresh berries.

Next up is Sweet Vanilla, featuring a core and crown of crème patissière adorned with a vanilla pod. This, too, is faultless.

Simply Nutella is far from simple; in fact, it’s sumptuous, silky, strong, and cloyingly sweet. You need a full kettle of tea or coffee to help wash that decadence down, decked with four whole roasted hazelnuts. I can see this one going over well with the little ones.

Cruffins are priced in the 6,000 LL (USD 4) range, which for an in-house experience at Casper’s smartly-staffed eateries is rather reasonable. They’re served all day, but in my book, they’re ideal candidates for the Dessert for Breakfast Club. Make sure you try one (or all three!), because no one else in Lebanon is churning them out.

And remember, you read it here first!



One more snapshot for the win!


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Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 10, 2016 at 1:42 PM

    Tried them and was satisfied. But seriously the size of the Cruffin is small relatively to its price (6250L.L.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BeirutistaNovember 10, 2016 at 4:01 PM

      Yeah, I know what you mean. I think as customers, we will never be satisfied with the prices we are charged. But I guess you're paying for the service, the premium ingredients, and the whole dine-in experience.

      Consider this: Starbucks charges 5,000 LBP for a muffin and up to 8,000 LBP for a slice of cake, and Starbucks is a casual, drop-in, self-service coffee shop. So for C&G to charge 6,250 LBP for a dessert novelty, complete with waiter service, tableware, and gourmet ingredients, it's reasonable.

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