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Got a leftover bag of croissants from Sunday's brunch? Try making this fabulous bread pudding for a scrumptious dessert the following week. Day old croissants are just right for this recipe, because the slightly stiffer bread holds its texture better during the baking process. more »
I got this recipe from my mom many years ago. This delicious soup is a great way to use leftover chicken. This recipe makes about 5 1/2 cups of soup. more »
Having your friends over for a spot of tea? Once the linens and tea cups are chosen a hostess needs to devise a menu for the tea party. You can be traditional or innovative. Tea time is usually mid- to late afternoon. Food is prepared before the guests arrive and served as a buffet or by individual servings. Delectable foods run the... more »
in the United States of America, Thanksgiving dinner is a nationwide celebration on the fourth Thursday of November. The holiday has many stories regarding its true meaning, with the most recognized reason for celebrating is to bring together friends and family in feast much like the pilgrims and Native Americans did back in 1621.... more »
Potlucks aren't just for dinner. Invite your friends over and ask them to bring their favorite sweet rolls or bagels to share for an early-bird get-together. Here's how to plan a breakfast potluck. more »
French food is known for its heavy use of butter and real cream, but using these high quality...
Croissants are buttery and flaky pastries that can be served alone as a breakfast treat, combined with sweet flavors for dessert or used to make... more »
Croissants are flaky, crescent-shaped, French pastries. They can be sweet or savory, but either way, they take a lot of time to prepare. Despite... more »
If you're on a gluten free diet, you probably thought you'd have to give up croissants completely. These gluten free croissants aren't as flaky as... more »
Truffles and eggs are a perfect combination, and the pungent aroma of a truffle omelet cooked with a splash of wine will make your mouth water.... more »
At Tupperware parties, it's usually appropriate to provide food for guests. Preparing the food isn't a difficult process as long as you plan... more »
A croissant (, anglicised variously as , , etc.) is a buttery flaky pastry, named for its distinctive crescent shape. It is also sometimes called a crescentOxford English Dictionary, s.v. crescent. or crescent roll. Croissant are made of a leavened variant of puff pastry. The yeast dough is layered with butter, rolled and folded several times in succession, then rolled into a sheet, a technique called laminating.
Crescent-shaped breads have been made since the Middle Ages, and crescent-shaped cakes (imitating the often-worshiped Moon) possibly since classical times. Making croissant by hand requires skill and patience; a batch of croissant can take several days to complete. However, the development of factory-made, frozen, pre-formed but unbaked dough has made them into a fast food which can be freshly baked by unskilled labor. Indeed, the croissanterie was explicitly a French response to American-style fast food. This innovation, along with the croissants versatility and distinctive shape, has made it the best-known type of French pastry in much of the world. In many parts of the United States, for example, the croissant has come to rival the long-time favorite doughnuts.
Origin
The kipfel - ancestor of the croissant - has been documented in Austria going back at least as far as the 13th century, in various shapes . The kipfel can be made plain or with nut or other fillings (some consider the rugelach a form of kipfel http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Kipfel).
The "birth" of the croissant itself - that is, its adaptation from the plainer form of kipfel, before its subsequent evolution (to a puff pastry) - can be dated with some precision to at latest 1839 (some say 1838), when an Austrian artillery officer, August Zang, founded a Viennese Bakery ("Boulangerie Viennoise") at 92, rue de Richelieu in Paris.The 1839 date, and most of what follows, is documented in Jim Chevallier, "August Zang and the French Croissant: How Viennoiserie Came t read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croissant
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