Croissants aux amandes

( Almond croissants )

Considering how much work goes into making a simple croissant, and keeping in mind that each of the millions of croissants baked every day across the world need to be sold within hours of being baked, it was inevitable that bakers were going to come up with a clever way of recycling them. As far as I know, there is no documented way of making a ‘typical’ French almond croissant; some are made by lining the croissant dough with almond cream prior to baking, some are soaked in syrup and some aren’t. Once again, it is a matter of personal preference.

This recipe follows the exact process that I have stuck to since my apprenticeship. As a wise man eloquently told me when I first moved to Australia, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. The recipe requires only a few ingredients: some left-over croissants (or use pain au chocolat if you like), some almond cream and a syrup, and what you’ll end up with is an incredibly moist and tasty pastry, with a delicately crunchy layer of almonds. This is recycling at its best!

Makes 10

200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

50 ml (1³/₄ fl oz) rum (optional)

10 day-old croissants

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) Almond Cream

200 g (7 oz) flaked almonds

pure icing (confectioners’) sugar, to dust

L Put 1 litre (35 fl oz) water, the sugar and rum, if using, in a saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes, or until about 60°C (140°F).

L Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Cut the croissants three-quarters of the way through, from the back to the front. Not cutting them in half completely will stop the tops from falling off during soaking. Working with one at a time and using your hands (see tip), submerge the croissants into the warm syrup, opening them up slightly to allow the liquid to soak all the way to the middle of the pastry. Gently squeeze to remove the excess syrup and place on the lined tray.

L Spoon the almond cream into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) plain nozzle. Lift up the top of each croissant and pipe a thick line of almond cream inside the croissant, from one end to the other. When all the croissants are filled, pipe another layer of almond cream along the top of each one. Sprinkle with a generous amount of almonds, then use your palm to press the almonds onto the cream and flatten the cream on the top of the croissants.

L Bake for 25 minutes, or until the almond cream filling begins to set. To check, use a pair of kitchen tongs to carefully lift open a croissant; if the cream is still runny, cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool a little, then dust generously with icing sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

L Like most pastries, almond croissants are best when they are freshly cooked, however, in the unlikely event that they won’t all be eaten on the day, they can be kept for up to 1 week if they are wrapped individually and stored on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Simply reheat them in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 10 minutes.

tip

Always check the temperature of your syrup before putting your hands into the pan! If you don’t have a thermometer, allow the syrup to cool for 15 minutes, then dip one finger in the syrup to assess the temperature. You will get the best result if your syrup is hot, because a cold syrup won’t soak into the pastry as well as it should. If the syrup is getting too cold, reheat it for 1–2 minutes on high heat.