Almond Croissant

Ever since Shrove I've been addicted to almonds: I've been eating them plain, in Shrove buns (aka semlor) and also pure almond paste (I love to eat it as it is :P ). This year I didn't bake Shrove buns myself (a pity I didn't have time) and now I have a constant craving for them (maybe I should just bake them now to get rid of that craving...).

My first encounter with almond croissants was in Tokyo in 2011. While walking through Ikebukuro Seibu department store (depachika!) I saw squished piles of some baked things. When I read the sign (in katakana), I was very surprised to find them called croissants. I thought them then as croissants somehow baked wrong and wondered how they could sell them LOL. Later when I was spending a Saturday in Kagurazaka, one of my favorite districts in Tokyo, I was yearning something European (that's why I was in Kagurazaka, as it's an interesting mix of Japan and Europe). As I had wanted to visit Paul café for so long and it was time for a coffee break, I decided to visit there. (It might actually have been a breakfast time... I can't really remember..., but a time for coffee anyway :D). They had the same piles called croissants aux amandes, so if a European bakery had those too, I got curious and ordered one. It was pure heaven: a crisp croissant with soft almond filling, accompanied by café au lait. Almost like a croissant version of a Shrove bun. It was love at first taste!

Almond croissants are actually a way to use leftover croissants (if you have any). (Maybe bakeries have leftovers, but otherwise I wonder who has leftover croissants... LOL). The sugar syrup both moistens day-old croissants but also makes them crisp on the outside while the almond cream makes a soft filling.

Happy baking!

Almond Croissant
Author: Tuulia / Kitchenfoxtales     Preparation Time: 10 min     Cooking time: 15 min
Servings: 2

A top way to use day-old croissants! Crispy and crunchy croissant with a soft almond filling and chewy almond top

Ingredients:

• 2 croissants (preferably day-old)
Sugar syrup:
• 2 tsp sugar
• 60 ml (4 Tbsp) water
• 1 Tbsp rum
Almond cream (crème d'amande)
• 25 g sugar (2 Tbsp)
• 25 g almond meal
• 25 g butter (salted)
• a drop of almond extract
• half an egg or 1 egg white
On top:
• 2 Tbsp almond flakes
• powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Make sugar syrup: bring water and sugar to a boil, simmer until the sugar has dissolved, add rum and leave to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
3. Make almond cream: Beat sugar, butter and almond meal until even. Add half an egg (or an eggwhite) and almond extract and beat until fluffy.
4. Halve the croissant (like you would to a roll), but leave the pieces together from "the outer ring", so that you can open it like a book. Brush the croissants generously with sugar syrup all over. Fill with almond cream (about 2 Tbsp per croissant), place them on a baking tray and slather the rest of the filling on top. Sprinkle with almond flakes.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool slightly (or until room-temperature) and dust with powdered sugar.

Adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini
*Nutritional information is based on average values and is a rough estimate.

Mantelicroissant
Tekijä: Tuulia / Kitchenfoxtales     Valmisteluaika: 10 min     Kypsennysaika: 15 min
Annokset: 2:lle

Mahtava tapa käyttää edellisen päivän croissantit! Sokeri-rommiliemellä ja pehmeällä mantelitäytteellä tuoreutuva croissant: uuni muuttaa pinnan taas rapean lehteileväksi ja päälle levitettävä mantelikuorrutus muuttuu uunissa paahtuneen sitkeäksi.

Ainekset:

• 2 croissantia (mielellään edellispäiväisiä)
Sokeriliemi:
• 2 tl sokeria
• 60 ml (4 rkl) vettä
• 1 rkl rommia
Mantelitäyte (crème d'amande)
• 25 g (2 rkl) sokeria
• 25 g mantelijauhetta
• 25 g voita
• pisara manteliuutetta
• puolikas kananmuna tai 1 valkuainen
Pinnalle:
• 2 rkl mantelilastuja
• tomusokeria

Valmistusohjeet:

1. Tee sokeriliemi: kiehauta vesi ja sokeri ja keitä kunnes sokeri on liuennut. Lisää rommi ja anna jäähtyä.
2. Esilämmitä uuni 180 asteeseen.
3. Tee mantelitäyte: Vatkaa sokeri, voi ja mantelijauhe tasaiseksi. Lisää puolikas kananmuna tai valkuainen sekä manteliuute ja vatkaa kunnes kuohkeaa.
4. Halkaise croissant niin että palat jäävät ulkoreunalta yhteen. Avaa se kuin kirja. Voitele hyvin sokeriliemellä sisä- ja ulkopuolelta. Laita mantelitäytettä n. 2 rkl/ croissant, sulje palat yhteen ja laita leivinpaperilla vuoratulle pellille. Levitä loppu täyte croissantien päälle ja ripottele päälle vielä mantelilastuja.
5. Paista 12-15 minuuttia tai kunnes pinta on kullanruskea. Anna jäähtyä hieman tai huoneenlämpöiseksi ja sirota päälle tomusokeria.

Lähde: Chocolate & Zucchini
*Energiasisältö perustuu keskimääräisiin arvoihin ja on karkea arvio.

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