January 30th is National Croissant Day. What is a croissant? Here’s the scoop.

> Theck out the croissant recipes below.
 
 
WHAT IS A CROISSANT?

Meaning “crescent” and pronounced kwah-SAWN in French, this rich, buttery, crescent-shaped roll is made of puff pastry that layers yeast dough with butter—a technique known as laminating.

Traditionally a breakfast bread served with jam and butter, two classic variations include the almond croissant, filled with frangipane (almond paste) and topped with sliced almonds, and the “chocolate croissant,” correctly called pain au chocolat, baked with a piece of dark chocolate in the center.

In the early 1970s, croissants became sandwich substitutes as they evolved from their two traditional fillings, chocolate, and almond paste, into many savory variations, from broccoli to ham and cheese, as well as additional sweet varieties.

There’s also the Bavarian croissant or pretzel croissant, made of a pretzel-like dough that combines bread flour and whole wheat flour with salt sprinkled on the top, like a pretzel. Some are made of puff pastry, others of a soft pretzel-type dough in a triangle wrap, like a croissant.
 
 
THE REAL HISTORY OF CROISSANTS

Stories of the croissant being made in the shape of the crescent of the Turkish flag, after the defeat of the Turks in the Siege of Vienna in 1683, are a perpetuated myth. Recipes for croissants do not appear in recipe books until the early 1900s, according to the Oxford Companion To Food. The earliest French reference is in 1853.

The croissant is a descendant of the Austrian kipfel, a yeast roll usually filled with chopped walnuts, dried or candied fruit, or other filling, and shaped like a crescent.

It arrived in Paris in 1838 or 1839 with August Zang, an Austrian military officer. He opened a bakery, Boulangerie Viennoise, and introduced Viennese techniques which would one day lead to the baguette and the croissant. The crescent-shaped kipfel was ultimately made with puff pastry by French bakers.

You can read this history in Jim Chevallier’s book, August Zang and the French Croissant: How Viennoisserie* Came To France (Kindle edition).
 
 
 
CROISSANT RECIPES 

[1] Coffee and croissants with jam and fresh fruit (photo © The French Farm).

[2] Just out of the oven: a pan of croissants (photo © Le Marais Bakery | San Francisco).

[3] Pain au chocolate, a.k.a. chocolate croissants (photo © The Bonjon Gourmet).

*Viennoiserie are buttery, flaky breakfast breads and pastries made with laminated dough, a technique of layering and folding a yeast dough to create brioche, croissants, danish, pain au chocolat and other so-called “Viennoiserie.” It is a marriage between traditional bread baking and sweet pastry baking. The technique of lamination produces many buttery layers that can be pulled apart to reveal thin leaves within. You can see the striations, or layers, of pastry when you look at the top of the Viennoiserie or when you cut into them (photo ##5). This technique is time-consuming and expensive (because of the amount of butter needed).

[1] Gnocchi gratin with leeks and chanterelle mushrooms. The recipe is below (photos #1 and #6 © Colavita Recipes).

[2] Pumpkin soup with bacon-sage gnocchi. Here’s the recipe (photos #2, #3, #4, and #5 © DeLallo).

[3] Gnocchi antipasto salad. Here’s the recipe.

[4] Gnocchi with cabbage and kielbasa. Here’s the recipe.

[5] Gnocchi mac and cheese. Here’s the recipe.

[6] Look for gnocchi in your grocer’s refrigerated case.

While Americans have Taco Tuesdays, the 29th of every month is National Gnocchi Day in Argentina. Here’s the origin of the holiday.

Given how easy it is to make gnocchi (starting out with store-bought fresh or frozen versions), why not port the holiday into your home?

There are 15 delicious recipes below, none of which use a traditional Italian red or white sauce. But first:
 
 
WHAT ARE GNOCCHI? 

Gnocchi (NYO-kee) are not pasta, but light and fluffy Italian dumplings. The word “gnocchi” means “dumplings” in Italian. There are two suggestions for the origin of the word:

 
The most commonly known in the U.S. are made from potatoes and flour, although other styles are noted below. You can find butternut squash, spinach, and sweet potato gnocchi on modern menus, and creative chefs can create myriad flavors.

Shapes and ingredients vary by region in Italy, and some recipes even substitute semolina for potato flour.

Gnoccbi not Italian! They’re of Middle Eastern origin (and the originals were, in fact, made from semolina dough). As the Roman Empire expanded, favorite recipes were brought home and adapted, based on local ingredients and preferences.

Depending on where you are in Italy, you can find:

 
Whether covered in sauce, tossed in butter, or pan-fried, gnocchi are crowd-pleasers.

> The history of gnocchi.

> The history of potatoes.

> The history of pasta.

> What are gnudi, and how are they related to gnocchi?
 
 
RECIPE: GNOCCHI GRATIN WITH LEEKS AND CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS 

This rich gnocchi recipe from Colavita is a festive side dish for everyday dinners or special occasions.

There are 14 more recipes below.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add a handful of salt.

2. ADD the gnocchi to the salted, boiling water. When the gnocchi float to the top of the water (about 3-4 minutes), they are finished cooking. Scoop them out of the water with a sieve or slotted spoon and place them in a colander to drain. Reserve 1 cup of the gnocchi cooking water.

3. DRIZZLE the cooked gnocchi with olive oil so they don’t stick, and set aside.

4. HEAT the Colavita olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. ADD the chanterelles, and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.

5. ADD the Dijon mustard, cream, and rosemary. Cook until the cream has reduced by half and the mixture is thick, about 5-8 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

6. ADD the cooked gnocchi to the sauce and stir to incorporate. If necessary, add some of the reserved gnocchi water, a little bit at a time. This will loosen up the sauce and make it creamy (without adding any extra cream!).

7. REMOVE from the heat and mix in the grated parmesan cheese. Serve.
 
14 MORE GNOCCHI RECIPES 

National Meat Week is an industry promotion that begins on the last Sunday in January. Running for eight days, the event invites restaurants to show their skills with the best cuts of meat.

This year, Meat Week begins on January 29th and runs through February 5th.

Chefs are challenged to offer their best and latest creations, from barbecue and pulled pork ready to filet mignon and foie gras.

The holiday began in 2005, when Chris Cantey and Erni Walker of Tallahassee, Florida, created Meat Week to celebrate barbecued meats across the country.

But you can celebrate with meat that’s prepared in any way: barbecued/smoked, braised, grilled/broiled, pan-fried, pan-seared, pot roasted, roasted, stewed, and stir-fried—and in the case of crudo and tartare, raw.

And of course, you can put your own skills to work at home.

This year, we’re having a nightly dinner with friends, going to a different home each night. It’s a great excuse to get together.

Here’s a tip from Sterling Silver Premium Meats:

Never cut into a piece of meat to see if it is done. This only allows the juices to run out!

 
 
> The different cuts of beef.

> The different cuts of chicken.

> The different cuts of lamb.

> The different cuts of pork.

> The different types of ham.

> The different types of ribs.

[1] Grilled steak (photo © Sterling Silver Premium Meats).

[2] Tamarind-glazed pork ribs (photo © Mackenzie Ltd.).

[1] German chocolate cake. The recipe link is at right (photo © Betty Crocker).

[2] Chocolate layer cake with peanut butter filling and frosting. The recipe link is at right (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[3] Chocolate icebox cake. The recipe link is at right (photo © Kings Cupboard).

[4] Black Forest cake. The recipe link is at right (photo © Sweet Street Desserts).

[5] Molten chocolate cake, also called lava cake. The recipe link is at right (photo © Galaxy Desserts).

What to bake on January 27th, National Chocolate Cake Day? Take a look at the chocolate cake recipes that follow.

> The history of cake and the different types of cake.

> The history of chocolate.

> See the chocolate cake and wine pairings below.
 
 
MORE CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPES 

 
 
CHOCOLATE CAKE & WINE PAIRINGS 

Amarone. Amarone is very similar to Port, a classic dessert wine. This full-bodied red wine has a rich chocolate flavor, with spiced and coffee undertones. It’s an international favorite and a bit on the expensive side. If you’re on a budget, a Ripasso is a good substitute.

Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau is not specifically a dessert wine, but it is a young, simple, and fruity red wine made that pairs with desserts. It is made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France.

Brachetto D’Acqui. Brachetto is a sweet sparkling red wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. It’s the perfect affordable dessert wine that goes naturally well with everything from fresh fruits to pastries and elaborate desserts.

Lambrusco. Lambrusco, from Italy, is made in dry (secco), semi-sweet (semisecco), and sweet (dolce) varieties. The dolce wines can be very sweet. Perhaps get a semisecco and a dolce to see which you prefer.

Late Harvest Zinfandel. A contribution from California, late-harvest wines are made from grapes that are left on the vine after they’ve reached their peak ripeness. This intensifies the sweetness and delivers lush, nectar-like flavors.

Madiera. Oxidized, fortified wines such as Madeira from Portugal have been exposed to heat to develop a complex muted, caramel-like saltiness—think toffee, dried fruit, and orange rind—which complements any chocolate cake with nuts, including flourless chocolate cakes.

Rosso Dolce. Rosso Dolce is a blush wine produced in the Moscato d’Asti style, with residual sugars giving it an off-dry finish. Instead of the Moscato (Muscat Blanc) grape, it is produced with red grapes from the Trentino-Alto Adige area of Italy.

Tawny or Ruby Port. Ports are well-loved dessert wines from Portugal and are a natural pairing with anything chocolate (including a box of chocolates). Tawny Port has primary notes are caramel and hazelnut, with secondary berry and mocha flavors. Ruby Port is less complex with fruity flavors. (Here are the different types of Port.)

Vin Santo. This full-bodied, sweet dessert wine from Tuscany has aromas of hazelnut, caramel, honey, tropical fruit, perfume and dried apricot. In Italy, it is customary to have a glass after dinner with biscotti to dip into the wine.

Here’s a gift for the home mixologist who wants to produce stunning designer ice cubes: The Ice Designer.

It’s an innovative brass plate that helps you create ice cubes in five different designs.

Custom designs are also available.

And National Ice Cube Day is June 21st.

You make the pattern by pressing the ice cube onto the brass plate. The thick, deep grooves in the highly conductive metal plate emboss the ice cube quickly and are relatively long-lasting in a drink.

Plus, the novelty never wears off!

This device is pricey ($197) but pays off in a lifetime of elegance.
 
Head to TheIceDesigner.com.
 
 
 
 
> The history of ice for drinks.
 
 
> Ice cube tray history.

One of the five ice cube designs (photo © The Ice Designer).