Truly Excellent Croissants, from Art of Eating magazine

These were a fair amount of work, spread over 2 days, but very worth it: they're better than any croissants I've had in the U.S.

James MacGuire's been writing some very technical articles about French baking techniques in the Art of Eating magazine. His article in issue number 93, "Crisp, tender, old-fashioned croissants" looked like a challenge I had to try. It's a long article and very detailed, involving measuring, paper templates, sequences of folds, and refrigerated rests to prevent the butter from melting while retaining plasticity. It's very similar to "Crescent Rolls (Croissants)" in the book Jacques Pépin's  Complete Techniques (2001). I hope the ASCII art diagrams and photos below help illustrate these techniques.

Good quality butter is important; we used a Kerrygold unsalted from our local store as it had the highest fat content. It's important that the butter be neither too cold to fold nor so warm that it melts; this probably means you can't make croissants in a hot kitchen in the summer. I beat the butter into a square where MacGuire spreads a cylinder, but the rest of the technique is his.

This recipe runs over two days: make the dough and fermenting overnight, then forming, rising, and baking. This means if you start the forming in the morning, you'll have to wait until the afternoon to eat your croissants. I'd like to try retarding the risen croissants so I can bake them in the early morning.

Ingredients

For 16 croissants.

Dough:
500 g all-purpose Flour
35 g Sugar
12 g Salt
15 g instant dried Yeast
120 g Whole Milk (cold)
260 g warmish Water (to compensate for cold milk)
250 g unsalted Butter, preferably cultured, chilled

Egg Wash:
1 Egg
1 generous pinch salt

Procedure

A day ahead, make the dough

The day before baking, mix Flour, Sugar, Salt and Yeast, then add Milk and Water, and mix 1-2 minutes to form a shaggy dough. Wait 5 minutes then knead just until smooth, 2-3 minutes. 

Cover the dough with plastic and let ferment 3 hours at ambient kitchen temperature, 70F or 21C, folding the dough onto itself after 1, 2, and 3 hours. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, add the butter and laminate

Take the dough from the refrigerator (it should be 40F, 4C) and place on a lightly floured counter, lightly flour the dough. Pat into a 10x30 inch rectangle. Fold into thirds to create a 10 inch square. Refrigerate 1 to 1 1/2 hours to allow the dough to relax.

Just before removing the dough from the refrigerator, cut the butter into 4 or 5 pieces and beat it with a rolling pin between cling film to "plastify" it. Roll it out so it's a 10x10 inch square; you could do this in a large zip-top baggie, which is 10 1/2 square if you stay clear of the edges or roll the dough a little larger. After beating, it should be 60F, 15C.

Roll the dough sideways to form a 10x18 inch rectangle and use the rolling pin to make an indentation 4 inches from the left and 4 inches from the right. Time for some ASCII art:

+----+----------+----+

|    :          :    |

|    :          :    |

|    :          :    | 10

|    :          :    |

|    :          :    |

+----+----------+----+

   4      10      4

This will leave a 10 inch square in the center with flaps like the open doors of a cupboard. Place the 10x10 inch square of butter in the center and fold the flaps over the butter to shut the cupboard, and pinch shut the seam and the top and bottom edges of the dough to seal in the butter. 

If the dough has become too warm and pliable, so the butter may squeeze out in rolling, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes, but not long enough to let the butter harden.

Flour your counter and roll out the dough to a 10x30 inch rectangle -- left to right, if your counter is a conventional 24 inches deep.  Fold this in 3, left side to the center, right side to the center, so it's once again a 10 inch square. 

+----------+----------+----------+

|          :          :          |

|          :          :          |

|          :          :          | 10

|          :          :          |

|          :          :          |

+----------+----------+----------+

    10          10         10

Again, if the dough seems too warm, refrigerate a few minutes -- if butter ever shows, stop immediately, seal it back inside the dough, and cool the dough. 

Rotate the dough 90 degrees so the folds are facing toward and away from you, the ragged edges will be on left and right. Again roll it out, left to right, to a 10x30 inch wide rectangle, and fold in thirds again.

Refrigerate again for 30-40 minutes; the interior of the dough should be 55F, 12C.

Shape the croissants

Cut the dough in half down its length from folded end to folded end (ragged edges will be on right and left). You'll have two 5x10 inch pieces. Put one piece in the refrigerator while working on the other. 

Roll the piece into a 7 1/2 by 20 inch strip. Trim 1/8 inch of dough from the two long sides to expose the inner layers which provide more texture when baked. Cut 8 triangles from the dough by cutting it in half, and each half in half, then cutting a diagonal through each. 

+--+--+--+--+

| /| /| /| /| 7 1/2

|/ |/ |/ |/ |

+--+--+--+--+

  5  5  5  5

Roll the triangles up into croissants, pulling gently on the pointed end as you go to maintain a taut shape; I gently squished the tip to the countertop to keep it from moving. Rotate the formed croissant so the point comes a third of the way down the roll, then gently curve the ends toward the side with the point.  You don't have to curve them, they look great either way, but "croissant" comes from "crescent" and the shape is traditional.

Set on a cookie sheet, orienting them diagonally so they all fit with room to grow.  Repeat with the second piece of dough from the refrigerator.

Rise and bake

Rise at about 80-82F (27-28C) with enough humidity that the surface doesn't dry out. If your kitchen's cool, try putting them in an oven with the light on (a pilot light will likely make it too warm). In our 70F kitchen, the oven with the light on was 82F, perfect. If it's not warm enough, pre-heat it briefly to bring it up to temperature then turn off the heat. If you need humidity, you could fill a pan with hot water and put it in the bottom of the oven. Check the temperature with a thermometer to be sure you're not overheating your dough: you don't want to melt the butter.

Rising takes 1 1/2 - 2 hours. The croissants are ready for baking when they look like baked croissants -- puffy and round with no flattening out -- and when you touch them with a finger they have a slight springiness.  Preheat the oven with convection to 375F (400F without); make sure you remove the rising croissants if you're using the oven to rise the dough!

Whisk the Egg with a generous pinch of Salt. With a soft-bristled pastry brush, coat the croissants with the wash. Bake to a rich golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. 

You gonna eat that?

These were great fresh out of the oven while still warm.  After cooling thoroughly, we froze them in zip-top bags and found they were quite good reheated in a toaster oven after defrosting.

We rolled good quality chocolate pieces into some of our croissants; you don't need much if the chocolate is intense.

Questions and future work

I really need to find a way that I can make the dough one day (and ferment overnight), shape the dough the next, then retard and bake early in the morning of the third day. Can the shaped rolls be risen completely in the fridge, like I do with my bread which I rise over 2-3 days? Do I have to rise them a bit on the second day, then retard in fridge, then bake the next morning? If I've retarded them in the fridge, do I need to let them warm up before baking, or can I bake them directly from cold?

We tried freezing one unrisen, shaped croissant, and it didn't rise well later. We let another shaped croissant rise, then put it in a container, then baked the next day but we found it stuck to the container so it lost its shape.

MacGuire says that if you freeze butter then let it thaw out, the emulsified droplets of water come together more, and if you work the butter for layered pastry, water will appear on the surface. This suggests that making and rising the croissants, then freezing them for later baking may sacrifice texture. 

We almost always keep our butter in the freezer, taking out a stick only as needed; does this also impact texture, using previously frozen butter? A comparison seems in order, if it weren't so much work.

McGuire also notes that butter which becomes warm then is chilled, it loses it's plasticity and becomes harder than original.

Can we use 2% milk instead of whole Milk plus Water? The goal of the above cold Milk plus warm water is to provide a warmish, presumably to encourage the Yeast. Pépin says 90-100F is good.  Can we use 2% Milk that's a bit above room temperature? 

If I beat out the butter in a zip-top baggie, it can be pre-formed then stored in the freezer. This could be a time-saver if  I made croissants regularly.

Ramen Crusted Scallop

Chef David Chang plays with ramen including crusting chicken and skate wing; we tried it on a scallop but weren't all that impressed.

We got a couple really nice scallops from a local fishmonger (at $30/pound, they better be -- that's $3 per scallop). 

The technique's pretty standard: dust, egg wash, crust.  Chang uses Wondra flour for the dusting and we used tapioca starch because we didn't want to develop any gluten chewiness that flour might have contributed. Then an egg wash using a quail egg since we only had one scallop here. Finally, we whizzed up the ramen with the flavor packet in a blender until it was the consistency of panko bread crumbs. 

Then a quick fry in hot butter (we used smoked butter, just because we had some :-) until golden. 

As always with scallops, don't over cook. The inside should be barely opaque, just turning from translucent.

Why wasn't this a huge success? The coating, instead of being crisp, was hard.  It was similar in texture to normal bread crumbs but lacked the shatter that you'd get from panko. Perhaps deep frying would have helped, since shallow skillet frying allowd the unheated sides to get soft, and it took longer than deep frying would. 

I'd probably try it again using a more standard kind of ramen -- these Thai noodles seemed to have a golden hue as if they were made from a different starch than normal. And deep fry it. 

Lazy Bouillabaisse

This is a quick, weekday night take on the Mediterranean tomato-based fish stews. I started with Kate Rentschler’s Bouillabaisse from Cook’s Illustrated September 2001, then streamlined per Roberta Donna’s Zuppa di Pesce, memories of San Francisco Cioppino, and now improvise using the flavor profiles I’m looking for -- and tasting all the time. The texture’s thinner than a stew but thicker than a soup. The flavors I really enjoy here are saffron, orange, and anise.

We can tomatoes from the farmers market at the end of the season, but store-bought canned tomatoes are fine, too. You want the skins removed. All proportions are approximate, and use fish that’s fresh. You want some firm fish and some flakey fish for interesting texture; some shellfish is fine too.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a starter

¼ tsp Saffron threads

3 Tbs Pernod, Absinthe or other anise liquor

¼ Cup Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 quart Tomatoes, skinned (we can our own, canned chopped are fine)

to taste Chili pepper flakes

to taste Salt

1 tsp Orange Zest (from about ½ an orange)

¼ pound Firm fish, cut into spoon-friendly chunks

¼ pound Flakey fish, cut into chunks

Crumble the Saffron threads into a cup with the Pernod and let flavors dissolve.

In skillet, cook Garlic until soft.

Add Tomatoes and their juice, and crush with a potato masher until chunky but small enough to eat gracefully from a spoon.

Bring it to a good boil, you want to emulsify the oil and tomato mixture to give it body.

Add Chili flakes and Salt.

Taste for body and add more oil if it feels thin and without luxury.

Turn down heat and add Orange Zest, Saffron and Pernod.

Cook gently to marry flavors and taste, adjusting seasonings and oil.

Add the fish, starting with the firmest, and simmer until just barely cooked.

Adjust seasonings once more.

Serve in pre-warmed bowls.

Extra credit if you top with a crouton and rouille.

Feijoada

Serves a lot of hungry people, you might want to cut this in half. Here, shown served with rice, collard greens, oranges and some vinegar-y hot sauce to balance the richness.

This is a rich meat and bean stew, the national dish of Brazil; you could compare it to French Cassoulet. We got this from our friends who were stationed in Rio in the 1970’s, they got it from their cook. It compares quite favorably to the ones I’ve had at Brazilian restaurants and churrascarias.  

We haven’t used the pig ears our original recipe calls for, and over the years we’ve been dialing down the meat a bit too. I’m guessing the meat-heavy proportions of the original were aimed at more affluent folks; it’s still plenty rich. I cook some of the beans long to dissolve into the sauce for body, and some less so they stay whole and provide texture. I expect there are as many styles of Feijoada as there are Chili con Carne in the States.

1 pound Black Beans, dried (or 4 pounds canned)

½ pound Fat Back (salty), cut into 6 pieces

2 large Onions, chopped coarse

5 cloves Garlic, sliced

3 Bay Leaves

½ pound Kielbasa, sliced into half-moons

1 pound Chuck Roast, boneless, cut into 8 pieces

1 pound Short Ribs (2-4 rib sections, on bone)

6 Cup Pork Stock (or Beef, or Water if you have to)

Soak dried Beans overnight, just covered in water.

Heat Fatback to render some fat.

Add Onions, Garlic, bay and saute until translucent; reserve to plate.

Season Chuck and Ribs with Salt and Pepper;

brown on all sides in rendered fat, don’t crowd the pan, use batches if needed,

then reserve to plate.

Drain off excess fat, reserving if you need it for body later.

Add half the rehydrated beans, the Stock, Onions, Garlic, and Bay and cook an hour or so until the beans are done -- time depends on how fresh the beans are.

Reserve half the beans.

Mash the beans in the liquid to thicken the sauce you’re developing.

Add back all the Meats; the stock should cover everything, if not, add more.

Simmer another hour or two until the meat is almost done;

I like the meat falling apart tender but not disintegrating.

Add the reserved cooked beans, adjust seasonings (including reserved fat if it seems a little lacking in rich body), and bring back to simmer.

Serve with rice, collard greens, slices of orange and a tangy sauce like Texas Petes or Franks. The citrus and vinegar cut the richness of the feijoada. Top with Farofa if you can find it (there’s even a bacon-flavored farofa :-).

Saffron Ice Cream

In 1993, Steve Pope on rec.food.cooking mentioned this and it sounded interesting.  We modified the basic French Vanilla ice cream recipe that came with our cheap ice cream maker, leaving out the vanilla so the saffron comes through. The amounts here just fit our maker. It’s made by Deni and cost about $40, and the same model Cuisinart sells for about twice that: it’s a metal bowl you chill in the freezer, and put it on a motor base that spins it under a lid that has a dasher paddle.

We had saffron from Whole Foods -- overpriced, poorly packaged, but reasonably tasty.  Next time we used the Spanish saffron we got from Penzey's. We haven’t yet tried very well priced stuff from saffron.com.

I like to serve this drizzled with a thin thread of ancient honey we have had lurking in our pantry -- it’s dark and intensely flavored and for some reason really complements the saffron. Of course you have to age the honey for a decade or two first :-)

1/8 tsp Saffron threads
1 Tbs Brandy

3 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Whole Milk
2 Cup Cream (heavy whipping cream, 36% fat)

1 Cup Sugar
1 pinch Salt

Crush and infuse Saffron threads in Brandy for 30 minutes or longer.

Beat Eggs, Milk and Cream together in large saucepan,
over double boiler if you're worried about curdling.
Add Sugar and Salt and cook over low heat (double boiler)
at 170-175F stirring constantly
until thickened and a custard is formed, about 10 minutes.
Mixture should coat the back of a spoon.
Cool, then add Cream and Saffron Brandy mixture.
NOTE: the mixture must be cool before adding any alcohol like
Vanilla extract or Saffron Brandy, else it will explode.

This should make 4 1/2 C mixture, the max our ice cream maker can handle.

Mix well and refrigerate overnight.
Churn in ice cream maker per its instructions,
then freeze overnight.

Bacalao Stuffed Piquillos in Basque Sauce

Original recipe: from Teresa Barrenechea: The Basque Table -- “Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos de Bacalao con Salsa Viscaina”

Serves: 4

This is roasted Spanish red peppers stuffed with a salt cod bechamel, baked in a sauce of chilis and onions. It’s rich, complex, and feels like a combination of rustic and something you’d find at a fine restaurant.

I’ve made this a bunch of times and it’s been surprisingly popular, even with folks that I thought might be scared off by Bacalao (dried salt cod).  The original recipe takes a while but it’s not really hard. Recently, I’ve streamlined it significantly by using a food processor rather than meticulously cutting the fish and chilis, and eliminated the need for a food mill.

Bacalao has a taste that’s different from fresh cod -- earthy, perhaps even a bit funky. I used to only be able to find it in Portuguese markets but now even BJ’s wholesale and my local grocery store carry it. Look for ones without bones (sin espinas) or skin, it’s worth the extra money. We get the Piquillo peppers from our Harris Teeter grocery store: they’re in a can and, surprisingly, are the store brand. The can holds about 20 peppers which is just right for this recipe. For the sauce, the original recipe calls for Choricero chili peppers but these are very difficult to find, I’ve only had them from tienda.com. I use a flavorful fruity but mild Mexican chili like ancho, pasilla or poblano -- good rich taste and readily available.

Dividing the dough for spooning

Spooning in dough; a pastry bag is much easier

 

Stuffed peppers arranged on a layer of sauce

Cover with sauce then bake

Bacalao-stuffed Pequillos

225 g 1/2 pound Bacalao (boned and skinned dried salt cod)

50 ml 3 Tbs Olive Oil

25 g 3 Tbs Flour

350 ml 1.5 Cup Milk, heated

20 Piquillo Peppers (approx, from 1 can)

Rehydrate the Bacalao 1-2 days, changing the water several times a day. It will never be as soft as fresh but it should be flexible rather than firm; consider saving some of the last soaking water to loosen the sauce.

Whiz it in a food processor until roughly the texture of cooked ground beef, not a mush.

In a non-stick pan, saute Bacalao in Oil until lightly browned,

add Flour and cook another 15-20 minutes.

Slowly add the heated Milk while stirring and cook until resulting bechamel is smooth and thickens.

Cool so it firms up: it’s easier to fill the Piquillos if it’s almost a dough than a gravy.

It's easiest to stuff these with a Pastry Bag: fill the bag, then squirt into each pequillo "sock";

if you don't have that, it helps to divide the dough into 4 lumps, then divide each lump between 1/4th of the peppers -- that way each is filled evenly and you won't run out; fill each pepper by spooning in filling.

Basque Sauce

While the bechamel is cooling, make the sauce. I’ve cut back on the oil a fair amount from the original recipe as I found it too oily; this still has plenty of richness.

45 g 1.25 oz Dried Choricero, Poblano, Ancho Chili (rich, not spicy)

2 medium Yellow Onion, quartered

1 medium Red Onion, quartered

80 ml 1/3 C Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic

2 T Serrano Ham or Prosciutto (I usually omit)

1 Plum Tomato

to taste Salt

Slit Chilis and shake out seeds.

Rehydrate Chilis in cold water at least 8 hours; drain, reserving 1 Cup liquid.

Scrape out remaining seeds gently so you don’t lose the flesh.

Whiz Onions in food processor until a chopped fine, maybe ¼ inch chunks.

Saute Onions in Oil until softened.

Whiz the Chilis, Garlic, Ham, Tomato and cooked Onions in a food processor until smooth.

Add back to pan and cook about 20-30 minutes until everything’s soft and sauce reduced a bit, perhaps not as thick as ketchup; add reserved hydrating Liquid if it gets too tight or you want to boost the flavor.

Assembly

Spoon a little of the sauce on the bottom of a casserole or baking dish.

Arrange stuffed Pequillos in the dish; handle them gently so the sauce doesn’t ooze out too much.

Remember the arrangement so it’s easier to remove them gracefully at service.

Add the rest of the sauce, it should cover the Pequillos.

Bake at 350F about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly and a bit browned on the top.

Let cool a bit and firm up before serving.