Going from oral surgery to making candy apples is a bit like a cardiologist starting a career on the barbecue circuit, but that’s exactly what Sharita Rouse did. At Tummy YumYum Gourmet Candy Apples, her takeout window in Old Town Manassas, she defies dental health from Tuesday to Saturday with a collection of candy- and caramel-coated apples and pears that any sane person is bound to crave. But on Friday and Saturday of each week, she makes something even more covetable: She rolls out a menu of unusually complex funnel cakes.
Last Friday, there were six options, including Oreo-strawberry and banana split. When I asked Rouse for her recommendation, she was firmly in the camp of the banana pudding. With good reason, it turned out.
The funnel-cake base is really more a collection of slim, fried dough nuggets than long strands. This makes it easier to eat, and prevents the hot pastry from losing its crispness. And it has plenty of opportunity to do so. The dough is buried in a mound of cool banana pudding–which makes for a delectable temperature contrast–and whipped cream. Rouse cuts up fresh bananas to line the container, and adds crushed Nilla wafers. The final detail? A light dusting of powdered sugar.
“Is it enough to share?” my dining companion and I asked when ordering. Once presented with the heavy container, there was no question. Between two of us, we were able to finish less than half of the dough and its toppings. But there’s no question that I’ll be up for the challenge again.
9119 Church St., Manassas
Feature image by Alice Levitt
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