The Very Lovely Day

Today has been a stunner, an absolutely lovely gorgeous day. What did P.G. Wodehouse say when he put words into Bertie Wooster's mouth? "Today I rose with the lark, and I think, the snail."

The morning began with a rollout of croissant dough, to be baked in Herbs de Provence, Cracked Pepper, Roasted Garlic and Plain versions and shoveled off to Joe Ortiz in Capitola, who has promised to examine the effort and give his opinion. I worked with finesse to bring about a good batch of buttery rolls but the fact is, I had my mind sneaking off to the second assignment of the day - to interview one of the world's most beautiful women for an article in SUCCESS Magazine. The rules of Hoyle prevent me from saying who she is until the article runs in the magazine, but I can tell you how she struck me: as lovely on the inside as on the outside, which led to all her print and film work.

I've interviewed a few shining faces over the years, and like the rest of us, they have their preferences. Did you know that Ginger Rogers would only accept two types of gifts from fans? White roses . . . and ginger ale. Stars can be particular. Opinionated. Obstreperous to use a very pompous word, but then again so can I, so I try not to judge on the things I know nothing about - and that's other people's lives.

Don't assume I'll wander off here, the point is that the woman I spoke with today made my day a beautiful one, all because she told me "thank you." She thanked me for being so carefully prepared for the interview, and for giving her thoughtful questions. I know my eyebrows raised. The moment was delicious. It was a phone interview, and she couldn't see the flour sticking to my eyebrows.

I don't know why more famous folk don't think to say thanks - maybe all the queries drain them of the mental juices so they end up thinking "when, when is this over?" instead of "thank you for your interest in my work."

Were she here right now, I'd give her a fresh croissant and good sweet tea in a Haviland cup. I'd say, "Here's to you. Here's to the lovely day."

Merci mille foie, beautiful star.

Croissants to Crow About

Croissant au Levain

First know this:
If you’ve never worked with bread dough before, all right, you can still go ahead, but please consider first making Gayle’s Croissants from “The Village Baker’s Wife,” which do not require a sourdough starter. You’ll learn the technique for doing the roll-in and turns necessary to get the butter worked correctly into the dough layers – and Gayle explains all in her book (available on the Gayle’s Bakery website).

If you must have the Croissant au Levain toot sweet but don’t have a sourdough starter, the book gives a recipe for how to create your own – keep in mind you’ll need a few days to grow it – this is not a quick cab ride down Culinary Avenue so don’t expect to start on Wednesday for your special guest’s arrival on Friday.
That being said, here’s a timetable if you DO have your own starter.

Croissant Sample Timetable

First Day
3 p.m.: Make sponge
9 p.m.: Make dough and let rise
10 p.m.:
Refrigerate dough

Second Day
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Do roll-in (to turns)
11 a.m.: Refrigerate dough overnight

Third Day
8 a.m.: Do final turn, roll out dough, shape croissants and proof

2 to 3 p.m.: Bake
Note: This timetable is subject to shift a la wind, weather and especially altitude. When I tried this timetable in Dubois, Wyoming, the responsiveness of the dough was eye-popping. In the reefer (as M.F. K. Fisher lovingly calls the fridge), the dough blew up into the rack above it, more than double in size. It took half the time for the dough to rise one the croissants were shaped – something about less oxygen or atmospheric pressure? Don’t ask me. Just watch and be aware that dough leavened with natural yeast at various altitudes does what dough will.
Second thought: The dough is also affected by ATTITUDE. If you’re feeling blue or worse like Holly Golightly battling through the “Mean Reds,” try this another day. The dough senses mood. Yeast is a living organism, you need to understand that.

First day:

Sponge
½ cup liquid sourdough starter
¼ cup water
½ cup whole-wheat flour
In a medium bowl, make the sponge, diluting the starter with the water. Add the whole-wheat flour and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. This mixture will be the consistency of thick batter. Let rise 5 to 6 hours, or until doubled.

Dough
1 package active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
½ cup butter, softened and cut into small chunks
Scant ½ cup powdered milk
7 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour if you prefer it)
2 tablespoons salt
½ cup sugar

2 ½ cups (20 ounces) cold butter

Egg Glaze
1 egg
2 tablespoons cold water


For the dough, dilute the yeast in ¼ cup of the warm water. Set aside until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Place the sponge and the remaining 1 ¾ cups of water in a large bowl. Add the ½ cup of butter and the milk powder and mix with a wooden spoon until moderately incorporated. Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon or plastic dough scraper. Mix only until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. The dough will be damp and sticky but workable.

Knead the dough no more than a few minutes on a lightly floured surface, working out any dry spots. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
Punch the dough down, then shape it into a flat 12 x 6 x 3-inch square. Cover the dough in plastic wrap or a split-open plastic food storage bag, and refrigerate for 12 to 15 hours. (Mamma Mia says, keep all parts covered or sections exposed to air will develop a distasteful crust.)

For the roll-in, wrap all of the butter in parchment paper and pound it with a rolling pin until it is soft and malleable. Then, remove the parchment paper and, on the lightly floured work surface, with the rolling pin and a metal dough scraper alternately roll and shape the butter into a rectangle measuring 10 x 10 x ½-inch thick.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a 24 x 12-inch rectangle. Place the slab of butter on the right half of the dough, fold the other half of the dough over the butter, and pinch the edges together to form a flat pillow.

Cover the dough pillow and transfer it to the refrigerator to rest for 10 minutes. To complete the first turn, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to approximately 30 x 12 inches. Fold the dough in thirds (turn the bottom up to the center, then fold the top down onto the bottom). Then re-cover and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Complete the second turn, rolling the dough out the opposite way and folding it into thirds again. Cover the dough and store overnight in the refrigerator. Repeat the process one more time the next day.

After the third turn is completed, cut the dough in half. Cover one half and return it to the refrigerator (Joe Ortiz says that keeping the dough chilled is beyond essential. Keep that dough cold).

Roll the other half into a 16-inch-wide rectangle 1/8-inch-thick and cut it into two 8-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip into 9 or 10 triangles with 5-inch bases.
Starting with the base of the triangles, fold ¼ inch of the dough over onto itself and begin rolling the triangle up to the point. Gently stretch the dough by pulling on the tip as you roll it. Leave the pointed ends straight instead of curling into horns.

Repeat the process with the remaining half of the refrigerated dough or reserve it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the croissants at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Whisk together the egg and water to make the glaze. Lightly brush each croissant with the glaze. Let rise, uncovered, for 4 or 5 hours at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the croissants once more with the glaze. Place the baking sheets on the center rack in the oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

(Recipe reprinted with permission from Joe Ortiz, author of “The Village Baker” and co-author of “The Village Baker’s Wife.”)

Mamma Mia says:
From plain to fancy, you can go so many directions with this wonderful croissant recipe, adding herbs for one batch, cracked pepper, roasted garlic, fillings, chocolate, and on and on.

Mamma recommends getting comfortable with the croissant method first, then taking off where the muse leads. Freezing the dough seems to further deepen the flavor development, so if you’re not in a rush, give the dough time in the deep cooler. You’ll need to defrost the dough at least a day in the refrigerator, so work that day into your schedule. Then roll out as usual.

Ellen Christine recommends using leftover croissants for Crostini, which is a delicious idea. Mamma has also broken them up and used them in one of those cheesy overnight casseroles you serve for brunch the next day – magnifique!

A Thing of Beauty Is a Joy Forever

When I want to dazzle someone, I make croissants. There is something timeless and classic about the carefully baked, soft layers imbued with buttery richness, and you can take them in many directions - savory by adding herbs, sweet by adding chocolate. You can nibble them as they are, with an exquisite side of java, or turn them into sandwiches for eggs, cheeses or smoked meats - even into tiny appetizers.

Homemade croissants taste and feel like nothing you get at the grocery store, which tend to be airy, crackly, and lacking in depth of flavor. The real thing is the real thing, a difference the tastebuds gleefully acknowledge and pass on straight to the soul.

Once you've introduced them to a friend, they'll throw open their doors and slap your back if they know you're coming with a basketful of croissants and a little champagne. That's how I like to visit Ellen Christine Millinery in New York - with croissants, champagne and thirst for one of Ellen's latest hat designs. Imagine trying on hats while seeing yourself in a mirror, a croissant in one hand and a champagne flute in the other. This is the essence of "Live, Live!" as Rosalind Russell exhorted in "Auntie Mame." Life is a banquet, and so on, and so on.

Before you ask me for croissants, know this: I need 3 days. I prefer more time, because the dough develops even more flavor essence if you give it time in the freezer. The French have always known this, and I suspected as much myself when I confirmed it with Joe Ortiz, who has been perfecting the art of baking bread since the 70s, when he and his wife, Gayle, opened Gayle's Bakery in Capitola, California. (http://www.gaylesbakery.com/index.html)

Joe stands alongside Julia Child in the book "Baking With Julia" with his recipe for Pain de Campagne, and this baker, author and musical show thinker-upper is a perennial favorite at the Maui Writers Conference. His own book "The Village Baker" and Gayle's book "The Village Baker's Wife" are both back in print. If you're serious about making bread with patience, enthusiasm and excellence, these are must-haves in your collection. Joe also told me that he has a new musical called "Smoke: A One-Woman Cabaret" running until Oct. 3 up in San Francisco. A guy who is an artisanal bread master and a musical theater lyricist? My instincts say "Check this out!" See the website for more information(http://www.gaylesbakery.com/smoke/index.html).

Next post, I'll give you the croissant recipe from "The Village Baker's Wife," the one I use especially for my friend Ellen, the Hattie Golightly of Manhattan. I added the picture of the lillies here because they look like something Ellen could use on one of her creations. They're beautiful, she's beautiful, croissants are beautiful.

Making croissants is a lengthy process, so you need a day just to digest what I'm telling you here. And yes, I've got some croissant dough chilling in the fridge that's waiting for me, do you mind?