I will never forget the scene from It’s Complicated where Meryl Streep’s and Steve Martin’s characters sneak into her speciality food shop {which sadly I found out doesn’t actually exist} while high. Meryl’s character asks Steve’s character what, out of all the things on her bakery’s tempting menu, he would like her to prepare, and he enthusiastically suggests chocolate croissants.
I was thrilled to find that Baking Arts in San Francisco offered a croissant and pain au chocolat baking class. Our teacher was fantastic, and taught us the age-old, cherished techinique – creating 54 layers of butter to achieve the perfect, melt-in-your-mouth flakiness. The next night, I rushed home after work to attempt what I learned in class in my own kitchen. Have you ever eaten a fresh, still warm from the oven croissant? I honestly don’t think I have ever tasted anything so magical.
More pictures continued after the jump…
Had to try the pain au chocolat as well…
I have a slight obsession with a pastry from Peet’s Coffee that they refer to as a “morning bun.” I tried to recreate it by coating long strips of the croissant dough in a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and orange zest before rolling up. These sweet, buttery little snails were delightful.