Paella for dessert? Banoffee version hits London and New York; Valencians have refrained from commenting
Sunday, November 20, 2016 @ 10:27 PM
AS IF Jamie Oliver's paella with chorizo was not enough to upset Valencia's culinary purists, the latest parody on the region's most famous dish – also invented in the UK – is banoffee paella.
And, in fact, the only connection it has to the original recipe is the paella pan it is cooked in – none of the ingredients of the traditional dish are included, not even rice.
A dubious creation by top baker Dominique Ansel, inventor of the 'cronut' – a cross-breed between a croissant and a doughnut – the banoffee 'paella' was made to celebrate the opening of his eponymous cake and pastry shop in London.
Even die-hard defenders of Valencian paella and its literally hundreds of varieties – none of which are desserts, nor include chorizo – would have trouble dissing the banoffee version after they had tried it, however.
Reports claim it is 'deliciously sticky', loaded with toffee cream, bananas, and butter with a crispy salted butter biscuit crumble topping designed to look a little bit like rice.
Ansel first put the banoffee paella on sale in his flagship bakery in New York to celebrate its fifth anniversary as a limited-edition dish 'until sold out', then launched in the new branch in the UK capital.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com