Croissants: A Beginner's Journey to Parisian Perfection

Making croissants at home can seem daunting, but if you’ve mastered puff pastry, you’re halfway there! Croissants are essentially "baby" puff pastries—requiring fewer turns and an overnight rest. While they demand patience and practice, the reward is a flaky, buttery masterpiece that rivals the best Parisian bakeries.

My standards for croissants are high: I expect a rich, golden, crinkly surface; I expect it to explode (quietly) when bitten into; and I expect every crumb to be loaded with butter.

- Pam Frier, Times Columnist

Croissant-Making Simplified  

1. Fewer Turns: Unlike puff pastry, croissants require fewer laminating folds, making the process more approachable.  

2. Overnight Rest: Resting the dough in the refrigerator develops flavor and makes it easier to work with.  

3. Practice Makes Perfect: Achieving that perfect flakiness takes time, but every attempt is deliciously rewarding. 

Recipe: Croissants

Makes: 12-16

Ingredients:

1 pound all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 ounce fresh yeast or 1/4 ounce dried yeast
1 1/3 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

[You can find the recipe for Croissants in the book Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cook Home Collection (affiliate link).] You can watch this video to see the method: How to Make Croissants.

Tasting Notes
With all that butter and fresh dough, what's not to love about these croissants. I will keep practicing and aim for crumb-explosion perfection.

Croissant in Paris

Next Time
Brioche in Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cook Home Collection (affiliate link) page 430

Links
Food Timeline's Croissant History
Food & Wine: Lamination: The Art of the Perfect Croissant

Croissant in Paris

::Whisk::
I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.

More to Explore:

• Index of Recipes
• Visual Recipe Index

Chocolate Meringue Kisses with Mousse: A Simplified Concorde

For those who dream of mastering the intricate Concorde Cake but crave a simpler alternative, chocolate meringue kisses filled with mousse are the perfect solution. Inspired by Gaston Lenôtre's legendary dessert, these mini treats retain the decadence of the original without the complexity.

The real deal consists of layers of chocolate meringue and chocolate pudding with sticks of chocolate meringue to decorate the outside. It was created by the famous French pastry chef Gaston Lenôtre to celebrate the first flight of the Concorde. Or is it named after the Place de la Concorde in Paris?

The recipe for Lenôtre’s Concorde appears in Lenôtre's Desserts and Pastries (affiliate link). At age 14, Pierre Hermé started apprenticing with Lenôtre and a recipe for Concorde can also be found in Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé.

The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking
by Glenn Rinsky, Laura Halpin Rinsky

Someday, I’ll make this supersonic Concorde cake, but these little chocolate kisses were simple yet decadent.

Recipe: Chocolate Meringue Kisses with Mousse

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Chocolate Meringue: 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 6 tablespoons cocoa powder 5 egg whites ¾ cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Mousse: 3½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut into small pieces 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 egg yolks 4 egg whites
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

[You can find the recipe for Concorde (Chocolate Meringue Cake Filled with Chocolate Mousse) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) or here.]

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Meringue:

• Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.
• Fold in the sifted cocoa powder gently to maintain the airy texture.
• Pipe or spoon small mounds onto the baking sheet.
• Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues cool completely inside.

2. Make the Chocolate Mousse:

• Melt the dark chocolate and let it cool slightly.
• Gently fold the whipped cream and vanilla extract into the chocolate until smooth.

3. Assemble the Kisses:

• Pipe or spoon chocolate mousse onto the flat side of a meringue.
• Top with another meringue to create a sandwich.

4. Chill and Serve:

• Refrigerate the assembled kisses for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tasting Notes
“I like the chewiness.”
“This is good; this is real good.”
“Can I have another?”
These were quotes from my three young taste testers.

Next Time
Croissants in Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cook Home Collection page 429

Links
Video: Chocolate Concorde cake recipe
Food & Wine: Concorde Cake
No Special Effects’ Concorde
Carnival’s Concorde Cake

::Whisk::
I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.

More to Explore:

• Index of Recipes
• Visual Recipe Index