Croissant Twist with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
One of the best things about traveling is the local fare. One of the worst things about traveling is the local fare.
I don’t mean this in terms of the good and bad foods of the world. I am referring to the spectacular foods that you just can’t get anywhere else, but try anyways.
I love croissants. Every time I go to Paris I try to consume as many as possible. For breakfast. On a morning stroll. After lunch. With coffee in the afternoon. A pre-dinner snack. As a dessert. There isn’t a less than perfect croissant in the city and I just can’t let them go by.
The problem with leaving Paris is that I crave a good croissant so badly that I will try any one that crosses my path. Being far from Paris I am usually greatly disappointed.
In my recent travels to Napa County I made a stop in St. Helena at the local café, The Model Bakery. Their croissant twist with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese was a very close second to Paris.
It is the airy texture of this bread that makes it spectacular. Croissants are made with a leavened puff pastry which is basically butter layered pastry. When the heat of the oven hits the butter it causes it to expand thus puffing up the bread.
If made correctly, the bread will be filled with butter covered pockets of air. Simply divine.
If made poorly then the bread, while usually still tasty, lacks in texture. The airiness is replaced with a dense, and even sometimes raw, dough and the buttered notes are masked by burntness.
You can guarantee that the moment I step off the plane in Charles de Gaulle I will be heading straight for a croissant.
I don’t mean this in terms of the good and bad foods of the world. I am referring to the spectacular foods that you just can’t get anywhere else, but try anyways.
I love croissants. Every time I go to Paris I try to consume as many as possible. For breakfast. On a morning stroll. After lunch. With coffee in the afternoon. A pre-dinner snack. As a dessert. There isn’t a less than perfect croissant in the city and I just can’t let them go by.
The problem with leaving Paris is that I crave a good croissant so badly that I will try any one that crosses my path. Being far from Paris I am usually greatly disappointed.
In my recent travels to Napa County I made a stop in St. Helena at the local café, The Model Bakery. Their croissant twist with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese was a very close second to Paris.
It is the airy texture of this bread that makes it spectacular. Croissants are made with a leavened puff pastry which is basically butter layered pastry. When the heat of the oven hits the butter it causes it to expand thus puffing up the bread.
If made correctly, the bread will be filled with butter covered pockets of air. Simply divine.
If made poorly then the bread, while usually still tasty, lacks in texture. The airiness is replaced with a dense, and even sometimes raw, dough and the buttered notes are masked by burntness.
You can guarantee that the moment I step off the plane in Charles de Gaulle I will be heading straight for a croissant.
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