Crescent-shaped breads have been made since the Renaissance, and crescent-shaped cakes possibly since antiquity. Kipferls have long been a staple of Austrian cuisine, and are often found in Frenchbakeries and pâtisseries. The modern croissant was developed in the early 20th century when French bakers replaced the brioche dough of the kipferl with a yeast-leavened laminated dough. In the late 1970s, the development of factory-made, frozen, preformed but unbaked dough made them into a fast food that could be freshly baked. The croissant bakery, notably the La Croissanterie chain, was a French response to American-style fast food, and as of 2008, 30–40% of the croissants sold in French bakeries and patisseries were baked from frozen dough.
Vanilla Custard Cream Squares – While this dessert is a little tricky to eat without making a complete mess, it rivals any decadent layer cake out there.
Custards baked in pastry (custard tarts) were very popular in the Middle Ages, and are the origin of the English word ‘custard’: the French term croustade
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place each puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Add three cups of milk to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the flour, vanilla, rum (if using), and remaining 1 cup of the milk.
When milk has come to a boil, fold egg yolk mixture into boiling milk and slowly stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, and slowly fold into the custard mixture.
Place one of the puff pastry sheets on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread custard evenly over the top. Place in refrigerator to chill until cool and stiff, 1-2 hours.
When custard has chilled, beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar with an electric mixer until stiff. Spread evenly on top of custard.
Cut second pastry sheet into 15 squares and place over whipped cream. Return to refrigerator to chill for 2 more hours.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
A note on the rum: we find it cuts through any lingering egginess in the custard, but it’s absolutely optional, so feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
Inspired by the speedy preparation of fresh and hot biscuits, General Mills executive Carl Smith is credited with pitching the idea for Bisquick. Smith was traveling by train in 1930 and had a hankering for biscuits. While the dining car and finished serving dinner, the cook quickly sent out the baked good.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a circular baking pan or line with parchment paper.
Combine baking mix, milk, softened butter, and sugar in a bowl. Mix until a dough forms.
Transfer dough to a surface floured with baking mix. Knead dough 10 times. Roll dough out using a lightly floured rolling pin until it is 1/4-inch thick.
Combine sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix until dark brown. Spoon filling onto rolled dough, spreading evenly to all edges. Roll dough inward; cut ends off and cut spiral into 12 pieces.
Place rolls into the prepared circular baking pan so that rolls touch.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 11 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute before transferring to a plate to cool completely.
While rolls are cooling, mix confectioners' sugar and milk together in a bowl until smooth. Spoon glaze over cooled cinnamon rolls.
The history of the beloved beignet dates back to the 17th century. We can trace the consumption of fried dough back to the times of ancient Rome. Beignets are thought to have migrated with French settlers and were introduced to Louisiana when settlers made their home there.
Cafe Du Monde is the pioneer of the New Orleans’ Beignet. Established in 1862 as a coffee stand in the French Market, it now operates about ten different locations in Louisiana. Cafe Du Monde is open 24 hours, seven days a week.
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well. Mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Fry in 360 degree F (180 degrees C) hot oil. If beignets do not pop up, oil is not hot enough. Drain onto paper towels.
Shake confectioners' sugar on hot beignets. Serve warm.
Notes
We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking.
Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake – A can of pie filling and a few tubes of crescent rolls help me assemble this sweet treat. It’s the perfect addition to hot cups of coffee and good conversation.
The origin of the croissant can actually be traced back to 13th century Austria, where it was called the kipferl, the German word for crescent. However it was an Austrian artillery officer August Zang who founded a Viennese bakery at 92, rue du richelieu in Paris.
A can of pie filling and a few tubes of crescent rolls help me assemble this sweet treat. It's the perfect addition to hot cups of coffee and good conversation.
Unroll the crescent dough. Separate into 16 triangles, and set 4 aside for decoration.
On a baking sheet, arrange the 12 triangles into a circle so that the longer points are in the center but do not meet.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 14-inch circle, pressing the seams together and leaving a 3-inch hole in the center.
For the filling, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy.
Spread filling over dough. Leave about 1/2 inch uncovered at both edges of the dough.
Use a pizza cutter to cut those 4 triangles you set aside earlier into thirds. Start at the wider end, as it’s easier to judge where your triangle should be cut. Arrange the strips evenly over the filling and press the ends to seal at the center and outer edges.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it’s golden brown.
Prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk together. Then drizzle the glaze over the top!
Classic Eclairs – You haven’t enjoyed an éclair until you’ve tried a fresh homemade éclair filled to the brim with pastry cream and topped with chocolate icing.
History. The éclair originated during the nineteenth century in Lyon, France where it was called pain à la Duchesse (‘Duchess-style bread’) or petite duchesse (‘little duchess’) until 1850. The word is first attested both in English and in French in the 1860s.
In a Medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup flour all at once with a wooden spoon.
One flour is incorporated, place back over medium heat about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes stirring constantly (to release extra moisture and partially cook flour), or until dough comes together into a smooth ball and a thin film forms on bottom of pan.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and beat using an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute to cool the mixture slightly. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate between additions. Beat until dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up.
Pipe eclairs over baking sheet lined with silicone using a 1/2” round tip. Pipe 18-20 (4” long and 3/4” wide) strips, keeping them 1 1/2" apart.
Bake at 425˚F for 10 minutes. Without opening oven, reduce temp to 325˚F and, bake 30 minutes longer or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool while making pastry cream.
Filling
In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups milk, vanilla bean and scraped seeds just to a boil, stirring to prevent film from forming.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup corn starch and pinch of salt. Add 4 egg yolks and whisk until smooth, creamy and lightened in color – it takes a couple of minutes but it will get there.
Gradually (so the eggs don't curdle), while whisking constantly, add hot milk in a steady stream until all of it is incorporated. Pour mixture back into saucepan and bring to a boil while whisking constantly then whisk another 30 seconds until mixture is thick and pudding-like in consistency.
Transfer pastry cream to a medium bowl (whisk in 2 tsp vanilla extract if using). Cut butter into pieces and quickly whisk into the custard until fully incorporated Cover with plastic directly over the surface of the cream, let it cool slightly then refrigerate 30 minutes or until cool.
With a small pastry tip, poke 2-3 holes through the bottom of each cooled pastry. Pipe cream inside, scraping off excess. Refrigerate eclairs while making chocolate glaze.
Glaze
Place 4 oz of chocolate chips into a small heat-safe bowl.
Heat 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (in a saucepan or microwave) until it is just at a simmer then remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let rest 2 minutes then whisk from the center outwards until smooth sauce forms.
Dip the top half of filled and chilled eclairs into the chocolate sauce, allowing excess to drip off.
