Last week I was doing my regular blog hopping and come upon Lindsay’s March Kitchen Challenge. The idea here was to try something new, tackle a recipe that you would otherwise run from. For March, that recipe is croissants. They are by far my favorite type of bread! As a kid my dad would get up early and take me to Burger King for a ham, egg and cheese croissanwich (minus the egg). It was also the place my dad taught me how to drive. We would get up super early, just as the sun was rising and head to the Burger King parking lot (which was empty) and let me drive his truck. This was a year or two before I even got my learner’s permit, around 14 or so.
Clearly, croissants hold a special place in my heart.
These days, I still enjoy them but I usually grab a big box of the cocktail croissants from Sam’s Club. They’re quite tasty, flaky and perfect for a quick snack or breakfast. I’d always thought about trying to make my own but that’s as far as the process ever went … thinking about it.
After making homemade danish dough, I know how much work goes into making the butter layers. Hours worth! But I’m always up for a challenge so I set aside my Sunday to make a batch, even bought the fancy European butter. And then the worst happened. I made the dough, I beat the hell out of butter until it formed a perfect block, rolled the butter into layer after layer of the dough, even cut them and shaped them into cute little croissants. Then when it came time to let them rise, well, they rose alright and then they MELTED. My kitchen was way too hot. My heart sank, I shed a few tears and tossed the dough in the garbage. I even crumpled up the recipe which is probably still on top of my cabinet after I sent the little ball of anger flying across the room.
At the moment I felt pretty defeated and disappointed in myself but I didn’t let one screw up defeat me. I was determined to do this right and made up another batch. Boy am I glad I did because after learning from my mistake I ended up with 16 of the best little croissants a girl could ask for.
A few of them we ate for dessert with a Bavarian Cream filling, dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate ganache.
The rest I saved for breakfast and filled them with leftover Black Forrest Ham, grilled onions & peppers and some fried egg whites.
Will I ever make these again? Doubtful. It’s a lot of work with a little bit of reward but the fact that I know I can make them if I *need* to is good enough for me.