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| photo by Yunhee Kim |
On the morning we brought Greta home
from the hospital, November 4, 2010, we went straight to our neighborhood
bakery, Astor Bake Shop. I know, lots of mothers don't leave the house with
their newborns until they are solidly three months old, but I was not only very hungry,
but way too excited to sit at home (don't worry, she's as healthy as an
ox).
I remember everything about that day:
how teeny Greta was, all 7 pounds of her, in her fleecy white coat, curled
into my chest; the way everyone at the bakery pointed and stared (look, a
brand newborn); the way the air felt, cool and sweet and
full of possibility; and, every enormously delicious morsel of my almond
croissant – the first real food I had eaten for
nearly 48 hours.
If you've never had the pleasure of
enjoying an almond croissant, here's what you should know: they’re like manna
from heaven. Though almond croissants are generally a pastry chef's trick to make
day-old-croissants new again (split the croissant, spread it with almond crème
and bake until golden brown and intoxicatingly fragrant), they're always my number one pick in a pastry counter. I can think of no greater
food with which to end, or start, a brand new year.
A good or even amazing almond
croissant is easy to come by in Paris or New York, but elsewhere, say, in the
tiny upstate New York town where we're spending our New Years, you have to make
your own. Believe me, it is well worth the tiny effort.
Here’s my recipe, bar none one of my
favorites from Feast (p.s. if you don't have croissants, this works on day-old bread, too).
ALMOND CROISSANTS | SERVES 6
1 recipe almond cream (see below)
6 day-old croissants, halved crosswise
Skin-on sliced almonds, for
sprinkling
Powdered sugar, for serving
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line
a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide all but 1/3 cup/75 ml of the almond
cream over the bottom halves of the croissants. Cover with the top halves,
using your hand to flatten the croissants just slightly. Spread more almond
cream over the top of the croissants with an offset spatula, leaving some of
the edges bare. Sprinkle with almonds.
Bake on the prepared baking sheet
until the cream is cooked through and the top is golden brown, about 20
minutes, covering the top with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Dust
generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
ALMOND CREAM | aka frangipane
Almond cream, or frangipane, is a
sweetened ground-almond or almond flour base for desserts, pies, tarts, and
more.
1/2 cup unsalted room-temperature
butter
1/2 cup unbleached sugar
1 cup ground almonds or almond flour
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons oat flour or
all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Cream together butter and sugar until
light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ground almonds or almond flour and beat
together. Add in the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, and then the vanilla
extract. Stir in the flour and sea salt, scraping the bottom for any dry
or unmixed bits, until the mixture is evenly fluffy and smooth.
Store in a container with an airtight
lid in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. (Makes enough for 6 croissants or 6 almond toasts)
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM Feast: Generous Vegetarian Meals for Any Eater and Every Appetite
