French Croissant Recipe Recipe For Meatloaf Recipe For Chicken

THREE DAY CLASSIC FRENCH CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Make sure you read the Classic-French Croissants 101 Guide before you start this recipe.
• Step 1 - Make the poolish.In a small sauce pan over low heat, bring the water to a lukewarm temperature and turn off the heat immediately (make sure it doesn't get any warmer than lukewarm or it will kill the yeast). Stir in the flour and yeast and mix until well incorporated. The mixture should be thick and slightly difficult to mix.
• Set aside for 30 minutes. The poolish will expand. It should triple or even quadruple in size, and become spongy with bubbles forming at the top. Photos below: Before and After.
• Step 2 - Make the dough.Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and sugar.
• Add the poolish (make sure you scrape the saucepan to get all the poolish into the dough) and the milk. Stir to combine.
• Knead in the cubes of butter in three separate additions. Make sure the butter is well incorporated before you incorporate the next addition.
• Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes (in the bowl or you can transfer it to a working surface). The dough should be soft, smooth and slightly sticky. Do not over-knead. The dough shouldn't be too firm nor elastic.
• Cover a 8x8-inch (20.3cmx20.3cm) or 9x9-inch (22.9cmx22.9cm) square pan with plastic film and pat the dough into it. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate overnight.
• Step 3 - Prepare the butterIn the meantime, take the butter out of the fridge and cut it into about ½-inch (1.25cm) thick square slices (if using a block of butter - not sticks - this will give you 4 slices).
• Lay a large piece of parchment paper on a working surface. Place the slices of butter flat on the paper to form a 5x5-inches (12.7cmx12.7cm) square.
• Lay another piece of parchment paper on top. With a rolling pin, roll out the butter to a large 6.5x6.5-inch (16.5cmx16.5cm) square. Peel off the parchment paper, wrap the butter slab in plastic film and chill overnight as well.
• Step 4 - Laminate the doughThe next day (afternoon), take the dough out of the fridge. Take it out of the square pan, unwrap it and place it onto a large, lightly floured working surface (ideally, cold marble top / Do not flour it too much or the dough will absorb too much flour and become too stiff.)
• Step 4.1 - Roll out the dough into a 12X12-inch (30.5cmx30.5cm) square - make sure it is even in thickness. Take the butter out of the fridge and place it in the middle of the square at a 45 degree angle. Fold a corner side of the dough over the butter, with the tip of the corner in the middle of the butter (corner side should be triangle-shaped, since the butter is 45 degree diagonal). Repeat with the other other corner sides of the dough, so they all overlap in the center and the butter is totally encased within the dough.
• Step 4.2 - Lightly flour your rolling pin and carefully start to roll out the dough (with the butter inside) to a 8x24-inch (20.3cmx61cm) rectangle. Be very gentle when you roll the dough out: apply even pressure and work your way slowly (you don't want to break the butter into pieces nor squeeze it to the sides - it has to stay enclosed within the dough). Keep it mind that 8-inches (20.3cm) isn't very wide, so focus on lenghtening the dough to 24-inches (61cm), rolling back and forth, rather then widening it.
• Once the dough has reached its intended rectangular size (8x24-inches/20.3cmx61cm rectangle), fold it like a letter lenghtwise (one side on top of the other). Wrap in plastic film and chill for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge and place it onto the working surface with the "open side" facing you (rotate 90 degrees; see photo right below). Repeat Step 4.2 (rolling to a 8x24-inch (20.3cmx61cm) rectangle and folding) and chill again for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, repeat Step 4.2 one last time, starting again with the open side facing you, and chill for 30 minutes. In total, you complete Step 4.2 three times.
• Step 5 - Cutting the dough After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge and place it onto the working surface with the "open side" facing you again and roll it out to a 8x43.3-inch (20.3cmx110cm) long rectangle. The dough will resist a bit (this is normal). When the dough is its intented size, make sure it isn't stuck to the working surface by lifting it gently (it will shrink a bit naturally).
• Working along the long side of the rectangle, make small cuts in the dough at 5 inch (12.5cm) intervals (you get 7 cuts in total). Working along the other long side of the rectangle, make small cuts at 5 inches (12.5cm) intervals, but starting at 2.5 inches (6.25cm) from the top of the rectangle, so these cuts don't align with the ones on the other side - this will form the basis of triangles.
• Use the pizza cutter and a ruler (or straight object) to make diagonal cuts (joining the top and bottom small cut marks), to create triangular cuts along the length of the dough. Discard of the two end pieces.
• Step 6 - Shaping the croissants Using a sharp knife or your pizza cutter, mark a small ½ inch (2.5cm) cut in the center of the short side of each triangle.
• Grab the shorter side, stretch it out slightly and roll it up toward the pointy end.
• Once all rolled up, press gently onto the pointy end to seal the croissant.
• Take both ends of the rolled up croissants and slightly bend them to create a crescent shape.
• Step 7 - Proofing Carefully lift each croissant and arrange them in parchment lined airtight containers, leaving enough space between them to expand. Close with a lid, and refrigerate overnight.
• The next morning, transfer the chilled croissants on parchment lined baking sheets, (6 croissants/sheet), leaving enough space between them to expand.
• Whisk the egg with the milk and brush a first generous coat of egg wash onto the croissants.
• Proof the croissants for 1 hour in a draft-free environment (make sure you read the steps to proofing here).
• Pre-heat your oven to 390°F (199 °C).
• When the oven is pre-heated, brush a second coat of egg wash on the croissants.
• Step 8 - BakingBake for 9 minutes. When the croissants start to become golden, turn the heat down to 370 F(188 °C) and bake for 7 minutes (1 or 2 minutes more/less depending on your oven).
• Take the croissants out of the oven. Leave on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, and gently transfer them onto a cooling rack.

RUSTIC FRENCH MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F with rack in middle.
• Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl.
• Cook onion, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in oil in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Purée livers in a blender, then transfer to a large bowl. Add pork, veal, prunes, pistachios, thyme, eggs, bread-crumb mixture, onion mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and gently mix with your hands until just combined.
• Transfer meatloaf mixture to an 81/2- by 41/2-inch glass loaf pan (see cooks' note, below) and bake, covered with foil, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 165°F, 50 to 55 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Cover top of meatloaf with parsley before slicing.
• Serve with:
• buttered boiled potatoes

CHICKEN PARMESAN MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8x4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• Mix together ground chicken, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, salt, black pepper, and chipotle chile powder until well combined. Press into the prepared loaf pan and top with marinara sauce.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
• Sprinkle Italian cheese over top and bake until melted and bubbly, about 10 more minutes.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

SAVORY CHICKEN MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a 7x11-inch glass or thick metal pan with nonstick spray.
• Combine ground chicken, onion, carrot, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, bread cubes, egg, garlic, milk, crushed bouillon, pepper, and sage in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix ingredients thoroughly. Form mixture into a loaf and place in the center of the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 45 minutes.

TRADITIONAL LAYERED FRENCH CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the butter and mix it together with your hands in a mixing bowl or on a work surface. Transfer the butter to a length of foil or parchment paper and pat it into a 6 inch square. Fold up the foil to make a packet and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
• Combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C) and set aside until frothy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the milk and the heavy cream to lukewarm. Add the yeast, milk, and cream to the flour mixture and stir well. The dough will have a batter-like consistency.
• Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/4 cup at a time to form a soft dough. It should no longer be sticky. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• To begin the rolling and folding process, both the butter and the dough should be at a cool room temperature. [See Cook's Note.] Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a 10-inch square. Set the block of butter diagonally on the square dough. Bring each point of dough to the center of the butter square; the edges of the dough should overlap. Pinch the edges together to seal.
• Starting from the center of the square and working outward, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rectangle. The butter should be pliable enough to roll smoothly with the dough; if it's too soft and starts to ooze out the corners, wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate before proceeding. Roll the dough into a long rectangle, approximately 8 by 18 inches. Fold the length of dough into thirds, like a business letter.
• If the dough is still cool, you can continue with another fold. Otherwise, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up for about 10 minutes before you begin rolling it out again.
• Position the dough so that the open ends are at 12 and 6 o'clock. Roll the dough into a rectangle, working from the center of the dough and pressing outwards. Reposition the dough as necessary to fit your work space. You should have a long rectangle for the "book fold." Fold both ends of the dough into the middle; the ends don't have to be touching, but should be close. Fold the already-folded dough in half; it will look like a thick book. Wrap the dough well with plastic and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Roll the dough into a rectangle again and fold it into thirds, like a business letter. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
• To shape the croissants, roll the dough into a 10- by 38-inch rectangle on a lightly floured work surface. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Use a pizza wheel or sharp paring knife to trim the edges of the dough. Divide the rectangle in half so that you have two 5-inch wide strips of dough. Use a clean yardstick to mark each strip into triangles that are 5 inches wide at their bases. Cut the triangles and place them onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes, if necessary.
• Starting at the base of the triangle, roll the dough up into a log; the tip of the triangle should be under the body of the croissant to prevent it from unraveling. Bend in the corners to form the traditional crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Arrange the croissants on the parchment-lined baking sheets and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the egg wash. Brush the croissants with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until deep brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving.