As American as apple pie: Burger Circus is big on desserts
A burger joint may not be top of your list when you're looking for something sweet, but Burger Circus wants to change that with an extensive dessert menu from pastry chef Jerry Thornton.
"Burger Circus is inspired by the nostalgia and experience of a classic American diner, which typically has an extensive selection of desserts on offer," says Thornton.
Growing up in North Carolina, Thornton learned to make classic American desserts such as apple pie and chocolate layer cake from family recipes .
These are now on the menu at Burger Circus, although Thornton admits he had to make some changes to the original recipes .
"My recipes are always evolving, especially in Hong Kong, where we have access to different ingredients and the humidity is so high.
"Some recipes just don't react well to local ingredients, and some of them — such as apples for the apple pie à la mode (left) — should not be compromised. The best apple to use is a Granny Smith — I think it provides the right level of tartness balanced with the sweetness of the pie, while still maintaining its crunchiness.
"That being said, I tried the local Granny Smith apples and they did not hold their crunchiness after baking, so we are importing a very nice Granny Smith from France."
Expect some seasonal variations changes, too.
"Fruit is seasonal, and from an American standpoint, pies are also seasonal, so I will be changing things up from time to time. Strawberry-rhubarb pie, which I ran as a special, is usually the first announcement of summer fruit and heralds the coming of summer berry pies," he says.
In true American style, Thornton's portions are large, great for sharing. If you can fit more in, he suggests pairing the apple pie à la mode with a simple vanilla milkshake, or "you can even order a pie shake, which allows guests to blend the cake or pie of their choice into a milkshake", he says.
