The Macaron Donut was developed by French pastry chef Francois Payard who came up with the concept inspired by other recent hybrid desserts that have been popping in New York. Also called the "macaronut," the newest dessert food trend is a rich combination of strawberries mixed with a creamy icing that's sandwiched between pink macarons.
Payard unveiled the dessert at his patisserie ahead of National Macaron Day, which took place Sunday, March 20. But the macaronut isn't a one-time thing, as the dessert will be back in stores, in all of the chef's five bakeries - at 3rd Ave., West 59th St., West Houston St., Murray St. and Columbus Circle - beginning Sunday, March 27. Each macaronut costs $5.
The dessert has a doughy consistency similar to an actual donut. It also has the same shape, but it's the size of a macaron. Sprinkles top off the dessert and add more color to what is already a presentable treat.
The macaronut received media mileage following its unveiling and it might have helped that the patisserie also gave samples to foodie bloggers and online influencers. "That's the best free press. All those foodie accounts, they all were infatuated with it," Kaylee Doplin, Payard's assistant said.
The chef chose strawberries and cream as the macaronut's first flavor because it's a popular choice and the color is also seen as "photogenic." Eventually, Payard is going to develop more flavors for it, his reps said.
Hello you most delicious invention-Macaron Donut#francoispayard#macaronut
A photo posted by Sanjna Punja (@oldmonkflyy) on Mar 20, 2016 at 1:55pm PDT
#HappyMacaroonDay #macaroons #donuts = #macaronuts A photo posted by Bappy (@usernameisnotavailable2016) on Mar 20, 2016 at 7:33am PDT
A photo posted by Jessa Mae (@jessamaeb) on Mar 20, 2016 at 8:35am PDT
Behold: The #Macaronut The latest in trending hybrid desserts just in time for #MacaronDay and the #FirstDayofSpring! #MacaronDonut by @francoispayard. And agreed @zagat, very #MattGroening-esque.. #macaron #donut #hybridfood #NYC @cityharvestnyc A photo posted by Whitney Tressel (@whitneytravels) on Mar 20, 2016 at 3:06pm PDT
Payard, 50, was born in Nice, France and trained as a pastry chef in La Tour d'Argent and at Lucas Carton. He arrived in New York in 1990 and became the pastry chef at Le Bernardin. After five years, he earned the recognition as "Pastry Chef of the Year" from The James Beard Foundation and then later, from the Bon Appétit Food & Entertainment Awards. He established the bakery FPB in 2010 and expanded to five branches since.
Payard is also the man behind National Macaron Day, which coincides with the Jour du Macaron celebration in France. The chef wanted to honor his French roots with this annual observance and has encouraged other bakeries to offer macarons to their patrons on this day. Proceeds of the sales, including the macaronuts, go to the City Harvest Organization, a non-profit that delivers food to the homeless and needy.
