MìLà and Dominque Ansel Team up To Make Dessert Dumplings
The out-of-the-box treat combines black sesame and chocolate.
Photo courtesy of MìLà
Jennnifer Liao and Caleb Wang, the co-founders of dumpling company MìLà, are no strangers to out-of-the-box flavors. Last winter, they unveiled dumplings filled with creamy corn and chicken soup. Then, earlier this year, the duo partnered with Seattle restaurant Phở Bắc to make beef pho xiao long bao. Now, Liao and Wang have teamed up with pastry chef (and inventor of the cronut) Dominique Ansel and, as you may expect, the dumplings are going in a sweet direction.
Together, MìLà and Ansel are launching Chocolate Black Sesame Lava Dumplings, available for shipping online starting October 24. This sweet collaboration came to be after Liao and Wang connected with Ansel, who had tried MìLà’s dumplings with his family. “My kids are Taiwanese and French, and dumplings are one of their favorite foods,” says Ansel. “A friend of ours recommended the MìLà soup dumplings and I was impressed by the quality and authenticity of flavors.”
Photo courtesy of MìLà
Liao and Wang had always wanted to make a dessert dumpling and working with Ansel, who’s known for pushing boundaries with his pastries, presented the perfect opportunity. “The idea of reimagining the flavors of my and Caleb’s childhood in a sweet way has been something we’ve been thinking about for a while. After all, “MìLà” does stand for sweet and spice,” says Liao. “Our personal food philosophy is all about blending traditional and modern elements, so taking a traditional Chinese food format like a soup dumpling and creating a modern filling is our way of expressing that outlook in an innovative way.”
The limited-edition dessert dumplings are every bit as decadent as they sound. Each wheat wrapper holds a creamy oat milk chocolate and black sesame filling that draws inspiration from both French and Chinese cuisines.
Photo courtesy of MìLà
“Black sesame is a flavor that’s deeply nostalgic for me — my dad literally eats tang yuan every day—so we knew we wanted to start there,” says Liao. “And when we started brainstorming what flavor profiles could work, we asked ourselves, ‘How can we achieve the same comforting, warm liquid filling you crave in a savory soup dumpling?’ That’s when the idea of molten chocolate lava filling emerged.”
Ansel is also a fan of black sesame, especially the way its flavor pairs with an ingredient he works with daily: chocolate. “There’s a toasty, almost nutty flavor to black sesame that works really well with chocolate,” he said. “The result is a rich, gooey filling that blends classic Asian flavors with creamy French chocolate.”
Like MìLà’s other flavors, the Chocolate Black Sesame Lava Dumplings are meant to be steamed and enjoyed immediately while still piping hot. The filling is rich enough on its own, but for those who want to take things up a notch, Liao recommends adding a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream — or both.
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