What do get when a muffin collides with a bagel? Why a “Mufgel”, of course.
Brooklyn Bagel Store owner Scot Rossillo – who earlier introduced the world to the “Rainbow bagel” - has mashed up two breakfast favourites to create a cousin for the cronut.
New Yorkers are loving it - and more of them would if the self-proclaimed “bagel artist” produced more than 42 of them a day.
The mufgel has the crunchy top of a muffin and a soft bagel base. In between the two halves is where the magic happens, usually with cream cheese as a staple, though bacon, egg and cheese – sure to appeal to Aussies – have reportedly been experimented with.
Rossillo was said to have been inspired to create the mufgel after hearing a radio ad parodying New York’s food crazes.
Earlier, the bagel baker created the “Cragel” – a croissant crossed with a bagel and the “Pookie”, a pie crust made of cookies.
While Australia doesn’t have quite the obsession with bagels that the US does, we are pretty fond of our donuts and are up for pushing the taste boundaries.
Sydney’s has a reputation for putting a spin on the sugary classic with its flavours of “buttered toast”, “maple bacon bar” and “pink lemonade”.
Then there’s the “Tella Ball Shake” from Erskineville’s . The Tella ball is a donut shaped like a cricket ball filled with either Nutella, salted caramel or strawberry, sitting atop a thick shake.
Then, of course, there’s the cronut – the lovechild of a croissant and a donut. That, too, originated in New York, the creation of pastry chef Dominique Ansel. Australia rapidly embraced this new treat and cronuts started popping up on menus across the country.
Melbourne lays claim to the invention of the “cruffin”, a croissant/muffin hybrid whose creation is to Kate Reid of Lune Croissanterie.
The café produces cruffins in flavours including “Snickers” - that’s made with peanut butter frangipane, chocolate ganache, salted caramel and topped with salted peanuts. There are also savoury offerings including the “Reuben” with pastrami, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.
Standby to see what Aussie patissiers make of the Mufgel - a Nutella or Vegemite-flavoured version, perhaps?
