Memories of a trip to Paris inspired these tasty and creative savory croissants from Arianna Frea.
By Arianna Frea
The other evening we were looking through the pictures we took a few years ago in Paris. Seeing the images brought back those moments made of never ending walks in search of hidden corners, breathing the air with the perfume of croissants and baguette. In those November mornings, we were enjoying our “petit-déjéuner” at the table of some little café, the map of the city open in front of us, planning our days between a visit to the Beaubourg, a dinner in a newly discovered restaurant and a quick stop at Fauchon to immerse ourselves in the never ending gourmet offerings. 
I smile while I think of the millions of things I would have liked to buy at the market of Montmatre, at the kilometres we did in order to find the right vintage clothes boutique, at the splendid views and lights of the Champs Elysées. How many things we saw, how many memories and how many delicious things we ate…for now though we look at the photos and cook our special croissants, however soon we will return to the “Ville lumière” to experience new emotions.
Basil and pecorino croissants
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A savory potato croissant with basil and pecorino cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes, medium size (about 11.2 ounces)
- 1 ¾ cup (250 gr.) cake flour
- 4.5 tablespoons (65 gr.) unsalted butter
- 2.2 teaspoons (11 gr.) instant yeast
- 3 scant tablespoons (40 gr.) of grated Pecorino cheese
- 2 generous teaspoons (10 gr.) fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons – ¼ cup full fat milk
- 1 egg yolk to glaze
- salt
- ground pepper
- white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F (180°).
- Wash, peel potatoes, cut them into chunks and cook in salted boiling water.
- Drain, place into a potato masher and collect the pulp in a big bowl.
- Add butter, sifted flour, yeast, milk, salt and pepper and knead until you get a stiff dough.
- On a work surface, roll out the dough and get triangles with a knife, about 3.9 inches (10 cm.) in width and height.
- Wash basil leaves, dry, and cut them very finely.
- In a bowl, mix chopped basil with grated Pecorino and necessary oil to get a fairly smooth, stiff cream.
- Sprinkle the top of dough with some cheese and basil mixture and roll up, starting from the base of the triangle, pressing the tip a little bit, to seal.
- Repeat until no dough and filling remain.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange the croissants, and brush with egg yolk, slightly beaten.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let cool and serve.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
