The first food pastry chef Dominique Ansel, creator of the legendary Cronut—a cross between a croissant and a doughnut—ate in the United States was a Snickers bar.

Discussing his new book, Dominique Ansel:  The Secret Recipes  at the 92nd St. Y in New York, Ansel–who worked for the Parisian bakery Fauchon before moving to New York to be a pastry chef for the well-known French chef Daniel Boulud—Ansel said he “loved” the Snickers. Boulud, he said, “loves dessert” and “knows how important it is to the meal.  It’s the most important part of the meal, the last (dish) you eat.  You want to leave a good impact.”

One food Ansel said he dislikes is meringues, which he described as dry and crunchy. What he likes, he said, is his version of baked Alaska, which features caramel ice cream and apple sorbet and tastes “like apple pie.”

Ansel said that unlike in the past, chefs today share information and knowledge, noting that “all the secrets I know are in my book.”

He said it took him three months to perfect the Cronut recipe.  The New York restaurant website Grub Street ran a photo of it, which he said attracted over 140,000 views in one afternoon.  “I made 30 the first time, 45 the second day, and by the third day, there were over 100 people waiting outside,” he said. Today as many as 200 customers line up at his SoHo bakery every morning to buy this pastry.  There are security people who manage the line and no scalping, he said, adding, “It’s surprising and fun to see so many people excited about food.”