Croissants, demystified

I adore croissants, and I rarely eat them. Because few things are more disappointing than a lackluster croissant, and most of them are decidedly lacking.

{best with homemade pomegranate jelly}

When I found Nancy Silverton's recipe and technique, I knew I had to try it and Mother's Day was the perfect occasion. I'm not going to re-type the entire recipe here, because it's wordy. About 4 pages worth of wordy. I almost gave up when I read that you need a ruler. I think rulers have no place in the kitchen. But I'm glad I relented.

Don't be intimidated by the recipe, just follow it and enjoy the results. There is a lot of downtime, so the actual hands on work isn't too bad. And you end up with lovely, flaky layers of buttery dough.

{all rolled up and ready to go}

My tips? Yes, you need a ruler. However, I skipped out on the trash bag and the spray bottle of water and everything was okay. Buy good butter. That's my main recommendation. I used Irish butter, which is a bit pricey but worth every penny. Oh, and wear stretchy pants. That's key.

Looking for the frittata recipe? It's easy-peasy and it's right here. I used fresh, shredded potatoes rather than frozen hash browns. Next time I think I'll substitute fresh, sliced potatoes instead for a heartier texture. I think it could use just a bit of extra flavor, maybe in the form of some fresh basil. But really, the croissants were show stealers, so the poor little frittata got scant attention from me. I can barely remember how it tasted.