#FoodieExtravaganza: Croissants

January 30th is National Croissant day and that’s what the #FoodieExtravaganza crew is celebrating today! This month’s host is Kathleen from Fearlessly Creative Mammas.

I wasn’t going to participate this month due to holiday travels but then there was a sign from the cooking gods that I was indeed intended to party with the foodie crew.

For Christmas my brother gave my husband Bobby Flay’s newest cookbook, Brunch at Bobby’s. We have already made three recipes from this book, if you love breakfast as much as we do I couldn’t recommend adding this one to your collection enough!

Last week as I was getting ready to prepare a jalapeno pesto, my husband flipped open the book to Almond Croissant French Toast. He ogled at the photos and I decided that I (well, actually, my husband ended up being the chef while I kept a hungry 2 month old content) could easily whip up that brunch on Sunday giving me plenty of time to type up this blog post and edit the photos. All I had to do was buy 4 large croissants. An errand that acted as a win-win. I took the boys out of the house and traveled to a market with a wonderful bakery 30 minutes from the house, allowing my husband some peace and quite to work on his thesis.

Funny story, too! I spent more time in the parking lot than I did inside the market. Both boys had fallen asleep on the drive and because I was trying to keep them out of the house I decided to fuel my Candy Crush addiction while I waited for Firecracker to wake up. (Treat would remain in his car seat so that wasn’t a limiting factor.) Upon returning to the car with our purchases Treat was hungry. When I need to nurse while out and about I allow Firecracker to “drive.” He just LOVES being in the front seat turning the steering wheel and pushing all of the buttons. He was climbing up into the driver’s seat as I was climbing into the back to retrieve Treat from the car seat while an older gentleman was walking by. He gave some funny looks and I got a laugh out of it. When he returned to his vehicle I was up in the passenger seat nursing Treat and Firecracker was happily standing in the driver’s seat doing his thing. The confusion on the gentleman’s face amused me greatly. (He probably thought I was another kid left in a vehicle; he probably couldn’t see the 2 month old.) He sat in his car a while on his phone and I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if the cops arrived having received a report of unattended children in a vehicle.

This French Toast makes for a decadent brunch! One croissant and some fresh fruit is plenty to satisfy. We actually made the Almond Syrup a couple of days earlier for some pancakes and discovered that the almond extract was really strong so we omitted it* from the custard. If you want to serve your French toast with plain syrup do not omit the almond extract; I’ve declared it as “optional” in the ingredient list. Another component of this dish is using clarified butter – a task my husband ambitiously took on. It’s a step I would not skip either. I think if these croissants were fried in regular butter the butter flavor would be too strong; there’s butter in the syrup and croissants are buttery, too!

Almond Croissant French Toast

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/4 C heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional* – see comment above)
• 4 fresh large croissants
• 1 stick butter

Steps:

1. Make clarified butter: Over low heat, melt butter until a foam forms on the top of the butter. Remove from heat and skim off the foam – discard. Pour the butter into a dish, being sure to leave behind any butter solids -discard those, too.
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a wide bowl whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Whisk in the cream, extracts, and a pinch of salt.
4. Cut the croissants in half lengthwise. If it’ll fit in your skillet, leave the croissants butterflied instead of fully cut.
5. Heat 2 tbsp clarified butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Soak one croissant in the custard from Step 3 for 10 seconds on each side. Add to the skillet and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place on the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
6. Repeat Step 5 until all 4 croissants are cooked. Serve with Almond Butter Syrup (recipe below).

Almond Butter Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 C pure grade B maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 C almonds, coarsely chopped

Steps:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until warmed through.
2. Leftover syrup can be stored in the fridge, the butter will separate so heat again before using.

*These recipes are adapted from Brunch at Bobby’s*

Be sure to check out more ways to celebrate National Croissant Day on January 30th:

Beefy Green Chile Braid by Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Pain Au Jambon by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Pain Au Chocolat by Making Miracles

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant with Maple Dijon Sauce by Tara’s Multicultural Table

Cinnamon and Apple Croissant Bread Pudding by The Freshman Cook

Chocolate Croissants by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Croque Monsieur Croissants by Caroline’s Cooking

Bacon Fig Dippers for Melty Cheese by Cooking with Carlee

Triple Meat Croissants Breakfast Casserole by Cookin’ and Craftin’

Coronation Chicken Horns by Food Lust People Love

Breakfast Croissant Ring by Our Good Life

Baked Cinnamon Raisin Croissant French Toast from From Gate to Plate

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