This Black Lava Croissant On Instagram Is 'Simply Gorgeous'

As far as words go, "croissant" is a lovely one. There's a satisfying assertiveness of the first two letters combined in the pronunciation of the word and the way they bring to mind similar-starting words like crispiness, creaminess, and even "crescent," for which the exotic-sounding dessert is named. The ending of the word is just as good, perhaps conjuring the word "saunter," a word that invokes a similar, relaxed mood, to say, eating a croissant on a leisurely Sunday morning.

A pretty word deserves a pretty picture, and Ruth Reichl has over-delivered on that front with her Instagram shot capturing Hudson's Breadfolks Black Lava Croissant. Reichl, a cookbook author, former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, and previous restaurant critic for The New York Times and Los Angeles Times (via her website) captioned the photo, "The fantastic Black Lava Croissant from Hudson's Breadfolks. Worth a detour." 

The croissant in the image is a whole mood, with impossibly dark shades of pastry, sprinkled with jewel-toned sugar and highlighted by a mossy green background. One comment from user em_ell_3 captured the image's allure perfectly: "Simply gorgeous."

Not only is the Black Lava Croissant at Hudson's Breadfolks photogenic, but it also has a charming backstory. According to Hudson's Breadfolks Facebook post, the bakery recently had a customer who, while desiring a baklava croissant, mistakenly asked for a black lava croissant. The mixup resulted in their croissant special for the week, a "black lava charcoal croissant with ganache montée...berries jam and raspberry sugar." Of course, now we're dying to try one!

If you're as keen as we are on finding out what this beautiful pastry tastes like, you'll need to take a little trip to Hudson, New York. According to Hudson Valley Magazine, Hudson's Breadfolks was opened in August 2020 by photographer Norman Jean Roy and his artist wife, Joanna. With two artistic forces at the helm, it's no wonder the baked goods here are so picturesque. 

If you're up for some food voyeurism, a scroll through Hudson's Breadfolks' Instagram posts may be in order. Fair warning: The provocative shot of the cruffin's velvety core may leave you wanting more than just a picture to consume.