WEDDINGS: Religieuses, A Wedding Cake Alternative
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Don’t want a wedding cake or cupcake tree? Check out these religieuses (ray-lee-ZHOOZE), from French pastry chef Dominique Ansel, who currently provides New Yorkers with dazzling desserts.
A religieuse is a pastry made from two cream puffs, one larger, one smaller, joined and decorated. It was originally designed to emulate a nun in her habit, and filled with vanilla pastry cream. Pastry chef Ansel has used is creativity to turn religieuses into brides and grooms. In his charming alternative to wedding cake, the bride is filled with blueberry pastry cream, the groom with chocolate pastry cream. In the photo below, Chef Ansel shows his flair with a salted pistachio religieuse. |
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If you find yourself in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, stop into Dominique Ansel Bakery to see what flavors and décor await you. |
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The traditional French wedding cake is an unusual creation called a croque-em-bouche (CROAK-om-boosh), a tall stack of cream puffs in the shape of a large cone. The puffs are held together by caramelized sugar and finished with a garnish of caramel and optional decorations that range from candied almonds or a chocolate glaze to flowers and ribbons. Here’s a photo of a chocolate-covered croque-em-bouche. Croque-em-bouche means “cracks in the mouth,” which describes the caramelized sugar. |
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