Reshaping The Croissant

 Nothing beats a good croissant.There's something about those layers of crackly buttery goodness and chewy melt in your mouth middle. Yet there are patisserie bakers and innovators who want to reinvent this French classic. Will these be the new cronut? There's the question.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this in today's New York Times Food section .As she has pointed out it's been ten years since thebirth of Dominic Ansel's cronut, that strange tasty hybrid of jelly doughnut and croissant. What's happening now with this elegant bread? Surprisingly a lot. At Lysee; in New York's trendy Flatiron section baker fills croissant spirals with hazelnut chocolate ganache and then packs them in round cake pan. They''re baked in around cake pan and when cooled torn off like pull apart rolls. Celebated French pastry chef Cedric Grolet nestled  dozens of tiny croissants in a frangipane or almond cream lined tart crust for an Epiphany cake. Then there is Amadou Ly who created the interesting hybrid the laminated baguette. This is taking baguette dough and wrapping it in a thin layer of croissant dough around it. The result is almost like having a thin layer of salted butter on the bread. Chef Ly  is a master in lamination , also creating  twists of dough painted with chocolate ganache to create a kind of inside otu babka. There is even croissant cereal, made by Gautier Croissard at his Apartemente 4 in Brooklyn Heights.

The croissant is nothing new. According to Ms. Moskin the Chinese have subing, while the Balkans have their phyllo dough,North African msemen, South asian roti paratha and Eastern European strudel. An Austrian chef brought the recipe to Paris where butter rich pastries were de rigeur for centuries.Its' ancestry comes from defeat over the Ottoman Empire taking over Vienna or Budspest around the mid 1680's. The bakers were the ones who sounded the alarm against the Turks and asked only that they create a bread, the kipferl to celebrate the Turk's defeat. The standard recipe is flour, yeast butter and milk. The mark of a good croissant baker is based on the shaping.Clean cut  and sharp likes are the test of a good baker. A croissant should be tightly rolled anf golden brown all over.Pale patches and puffiness are often signs of the pastry being made with hydrogenated fats instead of butter. The exterior should be crackly enough to break into shards.Beyond that anything is up for grabs. They can be stuffed with chocolate ,jam or almond paste. kate Reid  of Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne Australia fills her with such interesting combinations like pastami and sauerkraut , chocolate and peanut butter and Vegemite and cheese.

Will the croissant be reinvented again. The answer is yes. It's a blank canvas for so many creative bakers that a different kind will be coming soon.

Your Spring Baking Musts

 Spring gives us a busy baking season, almost as busy as winter. There are the holidays, Easter , Orthodox Easter Passover and Ramadan along with all sorts of showers and college  graduations. Are you ready for the baking that comes with them.

Of course ingredients should be at the ready. There should be flour for the Easter and Orthodox Easter cakes and breads. You should be stocking up on confectioners sugar for icings.As the holidays progress think about bargain shopping for eggs (still expensive) along with deals on butter and cake mixes.It's also time to get those pastel gel icings if you don't already have them. Once the ingredients are taken care of then its time to look at your molds. Thsi also includes candy and cake pop molds too. Most cake molds last decades if they're made from good aluminum or even steel. If you're a neophyte when it comes to baking lamb and egg cakes now is the time to buy the molds. You can get a cute bunny cake mold at your local Wal-Mart for under seven dollars. Michael's has the silicone molds for cookies as well as Easter themed  cupcake papers. Buy these now instead of waiting for next week. if you're planning on making a lamb cake for the frst time then head to Amazon.  They have the Wilton one for $24.00 and you can have it sent overnight. Also get ready for candy and cake pop making. Make sure you have plenty of sugar along with lollipop sticks and decoarations.

It's shower and graduation season once the holidays are over and done. D o you have large baking pans for sheet cakes along with the tiered ones for showers and smaller weddings? If not you may want to invest in RAQK one hundred pieces cake pan set plus decorating supplies. This is a must have have for any home baker planning on supplying the cake for any shower. It comes with a large, medium and small sized springform cake pans along with icing nozzles , a cake leveler to create more layers and three scrapers to create fancy sides on the cake. It's a great buy on Amazon for $23.99. Of course showers and some grad parties also have smaller cakes for easy nibbling. Do you have enough cupcake pans for a crowd of fifty or sixty ? It pays to buy another tin  which can also be used for muffins if you're planning on a brunch shower.  Check your supply of pie tins for baking that shower staple quiche ,Most showers usually have three different versions so it pays to have a few sturdy tins. These can be used later on to create ice box  pies or ice cream filled ones. Do you also plan on baking petit fours for shower teas.If not you can buy one or two now and try practice baking with them.

Be ready for Spring baking. Make sure you have the right ingredients and the correct molds. doign this will make holiday and baking for all t hose patrties a snap.

Plant Your Healthy Diet

 It's Spring and planting season is upon us. One thing about growing your own produce is customizing it to your needs. You can grow what suits your nutritional needs and have a better lifestyle.

It's not what do you want to grow but what  do you need to eat better? Tomatoes are on every home gardener's must grow list. Is it any wonder since these gems are packed with potassium and vitamin C. If you are taking potassium supplements then think about planting a few rows of beefsteaks, or cherry tomatoes.They're also high in lycopene which act as antioxidants against certain cancers. They're also high in the anticoagulant Vitamin K and folate. The great thing about tomatoes is that there easy to grow so even beginners can raise them. Kale is another must grow for a healthy diet.It's rich in Vitamin A which is vital for bone and eye health.It also boosts your immune system. Kale can be sown into the soil two weeks before the last frost date. The only caveat is that the plants require a lot of space.Plant the seeds three inches apart and in rows set eighteen rows apart.  You may just want ony grow kale if you have a small yard. Keep in mind that the soil always must be well drained and moist for most of the time. Water regularly during sunny days.

Another must grow are carrots. They're also fun for kids to cultivate too because of their easiness.as we all know htye're fantastic for improving vision. They're also good for balancing blood sugar and weight management. They also support gut health and lower cholesterol.Like kale they do require room. The seedlings require three to four inches of space set in rows a foot apart. Is lettuce worth growing? Yes! Think butter lettuce and arugula. Not only is it chock ful of such vitamins like A C and K it also has iron which fortifies bones and fights off inflammatory diseases. Arugula is also a superfood and is closely related to kale.It also acts as  a detoxifier too and helps the boy fight off simple and complex diseases.Again this is a plant that needs a lot of space. Plant seeds a foot to a foot and a half apart. Arugula is the same. It needs a lot of space to grow so cordon off a good portion of the yard for them. Luckily the plants are "friendly "and can be grown with other seeds to create a mixed garden.

Grow yourself healthy foods. Your body will thank you for prodicing good organci food. The effort is worth it.

Changing Up Spring Sweets

 This is the season for baking holiday treats and sweets. Yet it's usually the same thing, from kugel for Passover to Easter themed cakes , cupcakes and cookies . What about changing ot up a bit? Put in a new recipe that the family will love.

Passover begins on April 5th this year and ends on April 13th. The usual desserts are ones made with out flour namely kugel. Yet it's time to break out of that classic mold. Why not serve a refreshing fruit salad or fruit cups instead. Make it colorful with pineapple chunks, kiwi slices and strawberries,Add blueberruies ,s liced grapes and tangerine slices for more sweetness. Now zing it up with a honey lime dressing. Another dessert not necessarily associated with Passover are chocolate covered strawberries. Dip these ruby gems in dark chocolate for a different kind of ending . Give them a dusting of kosher sprinkles to make them even fancier.The days are getting warmer so think about fruit sorbets.Create an easy three ingredient one by using fruit, honey or agave syrup and a squueze of lemon juice.It's pureeing the fruit and mixing with the sweetener and juice. Pour this into ice cube trays and then freeze. Take the frozen cubes and placed into a food frocessor. They're transformed into a cool creamy dessert. Think a a strawberry or blueberry sorbet for a refreshing end. You can also make a chocolate one too using both Dutch processed chocolate and cocoa powder.

As for Easter, yes those bunny cakes and cupcakes are cute but they can be a little boring. Why not end the Sunday meal with homemade ice cream spiked with chocolate eggs or the fun multicolored robin's egg malted milk eggs. You can make a vanilla or choclate ice cream loaf to be sliced and served with whipped cream.. It can even be served in multicolored cones for the little ones. Brownies may be known as an after school snack but they can be topped with a thin layer of icing and a Peep for a colorful end to your Easter dinner. You can use a box mix or try a scratch recipe.Another unusual idea are cake bites baked to look like small Easter eggs. You can use molds (which can be bought on Amazon) to create the shapes and then decorate them in pretty colors.Both kids and adults will love meringues. These are airy puffs of sweetness which can be made with vegan or non vegan ingredients. The non vegan is made with aquafaba or chickpea brine and tastes the same as the regular ones made with egg whites. Dye them pink with all natural beet root which gives them a candy pink color. Of course coffee flavored ones are great for the adults.

Change up your Spring treats with new and exciting recipes .Break away from the classics.Serve fun sweets for Passover and Easter

Chimichurri Sauce A Bright Green Addition

 Spring dishes need to be zinged up. W hat better way to achieve this than a good chimichurri and its' origin sauce salsa verde. It can be used on anything from steak to chicken.Even veggies can benefit from it.

The sauce is extremely popular in South America.It's used primarily in Argentian where it's used as a condiment for grilled steaks.Its' beginnings supposedly came from the misinterpretation of British troops saying"Gimme curry" during the ill fated British invasion of the Rio de la Plata area of  Argentina. Other stories are that it arrived with Basque immigrants who had a sauce  spelled tximitxurri pronounced chimmee churri. Then there's the story where the sauce is indigenous , coming from a tribe in the Andes region located  in the northwest.My guess is that it's derived from the Piedmontese salsa verde which came over with Northern Italian immigrants in the late 1800's. The ingredients are relatively the same and both sauces are made the same way. Whatever its' roots chimichurri is a nice and punchy  addition to your Spring table. You will need parsley, dried oregano, garlic and chili. OLive oil and red wine vinegar give it silkiness and flavor.everything is mixed together and allowed to sit for ten to fifteen minutes before basting. Keep in mind that it can beured on already cooked meats and vegetables.There is a red version made with red peppers.

Its' mother or origin sauce salsa verde is another great condiment. Think about serving it alongside Easter lamb or grilled steaks. Again this is a mix of parsley, garlic and olive oil. Keep in mind that you can make this all year round and it's perfect for using up your parsley crop. You can add anchovies and capers for brine and kick. Both will add extra layers to the sauce. The capers do need to be soaked in cold water for ten minutes to remove the extra salt. A hard boiled egg can also be added for color and richness. Everything but the olive oil can be put into a food processor but a better method of blending is using an immersion blender..Blend until creamy and then slowly add  a quarter cup plus two tablespoons of  olive oil. If you want to vary it , then add a tablespoon of lemon juice for tang. Salsa verde can keep for a week .Besides lamb use it for the first grilling of the season.It will go well with various cuts or steak.veggies can also benefit from it as can salads. This would make a nice dressing for Spring greens.

If you want a zip in your spring cooking then use salsa verde or chimminchurri sauce. Both are easy to make.They'll be a great addition to any meat or vegetable dish.

A Ramadan Feast

This is the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and introspection. Yet it's also a time fo feasting between the fasting.This dinner iftar is not only shared with family but with community. No one understasnds this more than the SOmali community and their array of dishes.

First time contributor and chef Ifrah F. Ahmed wrote about Somali Ramadan cooking in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Somali cooking is special. As Chef Ahmed writes "henna stained finger fill and fold sabuus,a kind of samosa and then fried.There ares weet and tender buns to eat before sunrise and after sunset. There are dishes to share as friends and family compliment each other on their new holiday clothes and make sure everybody is well fed. The dishes are varied in tastes and flavors sambuus are easy to make. This samosa cousin uses tortilla s the flaky golden outside to a filling rich with garlic, cumin and coriander. Ground beef and onion make up the stuffing while cilantro gives them color.They're served with a the hot sauce basbaas cagaar, a green hot sauce. Chopped jalapeno peppers are mixed with serrano chiles and spiked up even more with garlic and white onions. To off ser the fiery taste, white vinegar and lemon juice is added.

For a more soothing dish, Somalians eat soor, a comforting hot stew of grits and tomatoes.Soor is white cornmeal cooked with salt while the tomato mix or Dalac Bilaash is mixed into it. This is first taking onions and cooking them in olive oil. Roma tomatoes and jalapenos are added to this. There is also garlic and cilantro added.They're ground into a chunky paste before, using a mortar and pestle.This is added to the tomaotes along with Vegeta, an additive that has an array of spices and herbs in it. Chopped green peppers finish it off. The soor is divided into plates and  topped with the dalac bilaash. To offset all this fieriness bake Rooti Farmaajo or honeycomb sweet rolls. These can be served before sunrise and also be bakedall year round. These are stuffed with a mild cheese like Laughing Cow and drizzled with condensed milk and shredded coconut.I'ts a yeast dough  that can be flavored with cardamon .The dough is  rolled and cut into balls, stuffed in the cheese and then press them togehter like monkey bread in a springform pan.It's brushed with an egg wash baked at 350 degrees Farebheit and then cooled. Condensed milk is drizzled on top an then gets a dusitn gof the shredded coconut.

Ramadan is a time for reflection community and fasting. It is also a time of all night feasts. The Somalis share and celebate theirs with delicious food and valued friends and family.

The Crispiest Crackliest Pizza Ever

 What makes a good pizza? Surprisingly its' not the toppings. Or the sauce  or even the cheese.It's the crust that pizza lovers rhapsodize about ,Now there'sa recipe influneced by a famed pizza town to try that gives you the best crust ever.

Regular contributor and chef J Kenji-Lpez Alt wrote about this perfect pie in today's New York Times Food section.He gives tips and tricks on how home chefs can create the perfect Chicago thin crust pizza. THis is the one Chicagoans adore, not that deep dish one that's more like a pizza rustica.It's not like the beloved New York ones with puffy handlebar crusts. There is not crust really. The sauce and cheese literally stretch to the end of the dough with the cheese dripping over in crunchy burnt pieces.Most notable the true Chicago style is cut not in triangles but in bite sized squares that would be perfect as a cocktail party nibble.It was intentional. These bites would make people thirsty . The custom s tarted in the 1940's at such family taverns as Vito and Nick's in the South Side.It was also always free and loaded with sausage thnaks to the slaughter houses in the vincinity.Cracker crust pizza became so pouplar it was the pizza that became number one throughout the Midewest.

Any home chef can recreate this American classic. Chef LopezAlt give the recipe for both the crust and a homemade pizza sauce along with Chicago style sausage..The crust should have less water and more oil for a nice crackly texture.Another Must that he discovered quite by accident is leaving it out on the counter for too long. This produces overfermentation which severely weakens the gluten structure which leads to dough that refuses to rise when it's baked. This is bad for a loaf but perfect for a pizza.It can also be cured, a process developed by Billy and Cecily Federighi. It's leaving the dough out overnight so it dries out. This also produces a crackly crust. Then there'sthe sauce. Homebakers could get a bottle or jar of it but his sauce recipe is worth trying.It's a quick blend of whole peeled tomatoes and tomato paste plus the usual seasonings. The surprise lies in the adddtion of a  tablesppon of granualted sugar and two teaspoons of  red wine vinegar. You could also make the pizza with just the sausage/ This is a taking ground pork shoulder and mixing it with fennel seeds and garlic cloves along with various herbs like oregano and marjoram. You could easily make a CHicago style pizza.

Happiness is a good crispy pizza. Make this true Chicago style one to enjoy that crackle and crunch.it will be a memorable one for sure.