Ange, this one’s for you!

One of my favorite breads is croissants.  Finding really good ones is difficult, though.   Here is a recipe that produces a wonderful, crisp, flavorful croissant, and it’s not difficult.  You do need to allow an overnight rest of the dough, so plan ahead.  When I make them, I put chocolate batons in about half of them…..pain au chocolat….mmmmm!

MMMMmmmm!

This recipe is from Bernard Clayton’s Complete Book of Small Breads

The French Croissant

Yield: 24-30 croissant

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp flour
3 sticks butter (3/4 pound) of butter and margarine, equally divided and softened at room temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour, approximately
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1-1/2 cups milk, warmed to 80°F to 90°F (27°C to 32°C)
1/2 cup half-and-half, warmed
1 egg
1 Tbsp water

Sprinkle 3 Tbsp flour over butter and blend together on the work surface. On a length of foil, fashion a 6″ square of soft butter; fold over the sides of the foil to enclose. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 to 3 hours.

While the butter is chilling, prepare the dough. To mix by hand, in a large mixing bowl, blend 2 cups of the flour with salt and sugar. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add it and the warmed milk and half-and-half to the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or the flat blade of an electric mixer to thoroughly blend the batterlike dough, about 2 minutes.

Stir in additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to make a soft but not sticky dough (it will stiffen when chilled.) Knead by hand or under a dough hook for 5 minutes to form a solid mass.

If using a food processor, attach the steel blade. Place 2 cups flour in the work bowl and add the dry ingredients. Pulse to mix. Pour the 1/4 cup water, milk, and half-and-half through the feed tube. Pulse once or twice to be certain that all dry ingredients are moistened. Add the balance of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, turning the machine on briefly after each addition. When the mixture forms a mass and begins to clean the sides of the bowl, knead for 30 seconds. Don’t overknead!

This begins the process of cooling the dough and at the same time allowing it to rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Determine that both butter and dough are about the same temperature — 65°F (23°C) is ideal. The block of butter should bend but not break (too cold) nor be oily (too warm) when bent slightly. This may mean taking the butter out of the refrigerator an hour or so early to reach workable temperature. Likewise for the dough. Place the dough on a floured work surface and with the hands press it into a 10″ square. Unwrap the block of butter and lay the block diagonally on the dough. Bring each point of dough into the center, overlapping the edges at least 1″. Press the dough into a neat package. With a heavy rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 8″ x 18″. This dimension is not critical.

Caution: If the butter seems to be breaking into small pieces under the dough rather than remaining solid, allow the dough/butter to warm a few minutes. But if the butter softens, becomes sticky, and oozes while making the turns, put the dough back into the refrigerator for several minutes.

Fold the length of dough into thirds, as for a letter. Turn so that the open ends are at twelve and six o’clock. Roll again into a rectangle. This time, fold both ends into the middle and then close, as one would a book. The dough will now be in 4 layers. Wrap the package of dough in a cloth (an old tea towel is good) that has been soaked in cold water and wrung dry. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator to relax and chill for 1 or 2 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on the floured work surface. Unwrap, roll out, and fold in thirds, as for a letter. This is the final turn before it is rolled out and cut into croissants. Dampen cloth again and wrap loosely around the dough. Place the package in a plastic bag so moisture will be retained (not pulled out of the cloth). Leave in the refrigerator 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

Mix together the egg and 1 Tbsp of water. Have ready the egg wash, a knife or pastry cutter, and a wooden yardstick if you wish the pieces to be cut precisely otherwise, plan to cut them freehand. You may have or can borrow a French croissant cutter that cuts the dough into triangles.

Sprinkle work surface with flour. Roll the dough until it is a generous 10″-x-38″ rectangle, and, most importantly, about 1/4″ thick. This is a crucial dimension, since it determines the size and texture of the croissants. Trim irregularities to make the strip uniform in width. Cut the strip lengthwise to make two 5″ pieces. Mark the strip into triangles, 5″ wide on the bottom. Using a yardstick as a guide, cut through the dough with a pastry or pizza cutter or knife. Separate the triangles, place them on a baking sheet, and chill for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll the dough into the traditional croissant shape, by rolling the triangle from the bottom to the point.

Place the croissants on a baking sheet and allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours, in which they will double in volume.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake the croissants for 22 to 25 minutes. Allow them to cool on a rack before serving.

~~Kitchen Notes

I found that in my oven, about 18 minutes was plenty.  Keep an eye on them starting around 15 minutes and remove them if they start to get too brown.

Enjoy!

Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken

3 lbs bone-in chicken pieces

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

2 Tbsp. ketchup

1 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Equipment:  13 x 9 in. baking dish

Spray baking dish with cooking spray.  Arrange chicken in dish.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.  Bake for 1  hour.  If using boneless chicken, cooking times will be more along the lines of 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness.

Enjoy!

Lemon-Poppy Seed Dip

Serves about 8

1 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. honey

1  1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1  1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1  1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

Combine all ingredients  and chill.  Serve with fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

Shrimp Dip

Serves about 12

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 lb. cooked shrimp meat, coarsely chopped

2 cups finely chopped green onions

1 cup mayonnaise

Louisiana hot sauce or ground cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Salt to taste

Combine cream cheese and lemon juice, just until cream cheese is loosened up.  Stir in shrimp and onions.  Add enough of the mayo to give the mixture the consistency of a dip.  Add Worcestershire sauce, and add hot sauce and salt to taste.

Serve with crackers, melba toast or toasted baguette slices.

Enjoy!

Bruschetta Mozzarella

Makes about 2 dozen appetizers

1 16 oz. loaf Italian Bread

1/3 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion

3/4 cup chopped tomato

8 oz. shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Cut bread in half lengthwise.  Place cut side up on baking sheet.

Combine olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper; drizzle over bread.  Sprinkle with scallion and tomato, then top with cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 5 – 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges of bread are browned.

Cut into 1 inch pieces and serve.

Enjoy!

Mexican Cheese Dip

Serves 20

5 lbs. ground chuck

2 med.-large onions, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Taco Seasoning Mix (see below) **See Kitchen Note

5 cans refried chili beans

2 cans chopped green chiles

2 cans Rotel tomatoes

2 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

5 lbs. Velveeta cheese

Brown ground beef and onions until no pink remains in beef.  Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.  Drain off fat and place meat into slow cooker.  Add  remaining ingredients and cook on high, stirring often until cheese is  about half melted.  Turn cooker to low and continue cooking until cheese is completely melted.  Turn down to Warm setting and serve with tortilla chips.

~~Kitchen Notes

You can use the pre-packaged taco seasoning if you wish.  For this recipe, use 5 pkgs.  I like to make my own, so my recipe is below.  If you want to use this to make regular tacos, use the amounts in parenthesis, and add some diced onion and garlic to your ground meet.

Taco Seasoning Mix

1  1/2 Tbsp. table salt (1 tsp.)

1  1/2 Tbsp. chili powder (1 tsp.)

2  1/2 tsp. cornstarch  (1/2 tsp.)

2  1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (1/2 tsp.)

1  1/2 tsp. dried oregano (1/4 tsp. )

2  1/2 tsp. ground cumin (1/2 tsp.)

Combine all ingredients in small bowl until evenly distributed.

Enjoy!

I’ll start off with a simple Cheese Ball that can be whipped up in no time.

Buttermilk-Ranch Cheese Ball

Serves 8-12 appetizer servings

1 lb. cream cheese, softened

1-2 Tbsp. minced onion (to your taste)

1 pkg. dry Ranch style dressing mix

1 cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Combine cream cheese, onion and dressing mix until seasonings are evenly distributed.  Chill for 2-3 hours until firm.  Remove from fridge and shape mixture into a ball.  Roll in chopped nuts.

Serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pie

Serves 6-8

4 medium sized sweet potatoes

1  1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs, beaten

10 Tbsp. butter, melted

3/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 deep dish pie crust (See recipes in Pastry section)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Deep dish pie plate (I use a 9.5″ Pyrex glass pie plate)

Cook (boil or bake) sweet potatoes until very tender.  Remove skins and place sweet potatoes into a mixer bowl.  Beat with a hand-held mixer until smooth.  Check the beaters several times during beating and remove strings from beaters.  Do this until you don’t get anymore strings.  This will ensure the pie is silky smooth.  Add remaining ingredients, one at a time, mixing until well combined.   Pour batter into prepared pie crust and bake in preheated oven until pie is puffy, slightly cracked around the outside edges, and beginning to brown, 45-60 minutes.

**Kitchen Notes

~~This makes a large amount of filling.  If you don’t have a deep dish pie plate, or if you use a store-bought crust (even a deep dish crust), you will have extra left over.   This can be baked separately in a small dish that has been well buttered.  I sometimes stir in some chopped walnuts and top the extra with coconut for a different kind of treat.

Enjoy!

Rich Butter Pastry

Makes enough for a double crust

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, slightly softened

7-8 Tbsp. very cold water

Stir flour and salt together in a medium bowl.  With a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until pieces are the size of small peas.  Sprinkle the smaller amount of water over flour mixture and toss with a fork until all flour is moistened and mixture starts to form a ball.  If there is still dry bits in the bottom of the bowl, add the remaining water to moisten.  Gather the dough up and form into a ball.  Flatten into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill thoroughly for at least 1 hour.  Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface and place into pie plate.

If only using 1/2 of dough, the remaining dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, placed into a freezer bag, and frozen.  Use within 4-6 months.

Enjoy!

Bacon Caramelized Onion Snack Bread

1 recipe pizza dough (or pre-made from the deli)

3 slices thick-cut bacon

2 medium sweet onions, sliced in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2 moons

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Equipment:  1/2 sheet pan,  jellyroll pan, or pizza pan

Prepare pizza dough and let it rise, or if using pre-made, let it rest and come to room temp, about 1 hour.   Roll or shape dough to fit your pan.  Poke dough with your fingertips to create little dimples.

In 10 inch skillet, cook bacon till crispy.  Remove from pan and add cut onions.  Sprinkle onions with about 1 tsp. kosher salt and 1/2 tsp. ground pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are deep golden brown.

Spread onions onto dough, making sure it’s pretty even.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and a bit more kosher salt and pepper.

Bake in preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool slightly on a rack.  Cut into pieces and serve.

**Kitchen Notes

~~Sometimes I add other chopped herbs to compliment different soups….basil for tomato soup,  thyme, sage, or parsley for chicken soup.

Enjoy!