Croissants aux Amandes - Almond Croissants

Sweet almond filling and almond syrup transform stale croissants into delicious, more-ish Croissants aux Amandes or Almond Croissants. They are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. 

When we lived in Paris, we were fortunate to have an excellent bakery just up the block from our house. Many an afternoon found us taking a walk not only for exercise and to get out of the house but to pick up supplies for that afternoon meal the French call le goûter.

Le goûter literally translates to "the taste" but it's what the British would probably call afternoon tea and Americans an afterschool snack. It is an institution in France, meant to fill the hunger gap between lunch and the typically late (by American standards, anyway) family dinner. Le goûter was a tradition we heartily endorsed. 

Our bakery displayed a wide variety of baked goods every day but I was puzzled when I realized that almond croissants made a sporadic appearance. Upon inquiry, I was informed that they only made almond croissants when there were stale croissants leftover from the day before. Adding the almond filling and syrup was a way to salvage dry day-old croissants and turn them into a new delicious treat instead of letting them go to waste. Some days it seemed, I arrived too late if the supply had been small. 

Brilliant, right? With the consumer associations carefully monitoring the prices bakeries charge for bread, and competition from all the other many bakeries, I’m guessing margins are tight. According to NPR, there are more than 30,000 independent bakeries in France. All I know is that almond croissants are wonderful and it's a great idea not to waste. Win-win.

Croissants aux Amandes - Almond Croissants 

I used all-butter croissants bought at my nearby supermarket bakery department for this recipe. Mine were several days old but I kept them in the refrigerator from when they were purchased until I was ready to make them in to almond croissants. 

Ingredients

6 croissants, preferably day-old

6 tablespoons sliced almonds

For the almond paste aka frangipane:

3/4 cup or 75g almond flour (also called almond meal or ground almonds)

1/3 cup or 66g granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup or 57g unsalted butter, at room temperature

A few drops pure almond extract

Pinch fine sea salt

For the sugar syrup:

1/2 cup or 120ml water

1/4 cup or 50g granulated sugar

2 tablespoons amaretto (or substitute a drop or two of almond extract)

For serving:

Powdered sugar

Method

To make the almond paste or frangipane, beat together the almond flour, sugar, egg, butter, almond extract and salt in a mixing bowl until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl down occasionally. Keep beating until the paste is light and fluffy, another minute or two. 

Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and prepare a large baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

To make the syrup, measure your water into a microwaveable vessel and add in the sugar. Heat for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can also do this step in a small pot on the stovetop. Stir in the amaretto or almond extract. 

Use a serrated knife to cut each croissant open horizontally, like a book, leaving one side uncut. 

Use a pastry brush to liberally and generously soak the insides of the croissants with the syrup. 

Put 2 tablespoons of the almond paste on one side of each croissant and spread it out to the very edges.

 

Close the croissants and press down gently. Divide the remaining almond paste between the croissants and spread it around to cover the tops. 

Sprinkle each croissant with 1 tablespoon of the sliced almonds and press them in slightly so they stick to the almond paste. 

Bake in your preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Turn the pan around halfway through so the almond croissants will brown evenly. 

Let them cool for a few minutes, then sprinkle each filled almond croissant with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

This Sunday FunDay we are sharing recipes for making croissants and recipes made with croissants because yesterday was National Croissant Day. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Check out the links below: 

• Bean and Chicken Cassoulet by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cheesy Sausage and Croissant Casserole by Making Miracles
• Chocolate Croissants (Pain au Chocolate) by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Croissants aux Amandes (Almond Croissants) by Food Lust People Love
• Homemade Crescent Rolls by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Mardi Gras Cream Cheese King Cake Croissants by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Sourdough Croissants by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Yeasted Croissant by Sneha's Recipe

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Maple Banana Cornbread Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sweet ripe bananas and maple syrup replace the sugar in these wonderful maple banana cornbread muffins. They make a fabulous breakfast or snack on the go!

The day before yesterday - Saturday - was my birthday so I asked my mom if she wanted to sleep over. She doesn’t like driving after dark so spending the night meant she could enjoy my birthday dinner with us. I seared some scallops and served them with garlicky greens and pasta along with a tomato mozzarella salad. It was all so good!

Yesterday morning I baked these muffins for breakfast and brought them up to Mom on a tray with coffee. Though not a big eater, she ate two! Then my daughter said, “Don’t give all the muffins to Grammy when she goes home. I like them!” With my final taste-tester husband chiming in that he likes them too, I’m calling this recipe a winner. 

And just for the record, I like them also. I’m not a big sweet eater but the maple syrup and banana make these just the right amount of sweet for me. 

Maple Banana Cornbread Muffins

This recipe was adapted from one on Pam’s Daily Dish for a cornbread loaf. I used the last of my small golden bananas for the muffins, the ones I discussed in my peanut butter banana waffle post. 

Ingredients 

3/4 cup or 94g flour

1 cup or 165g cornmeal (yellow or white)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 medium ripe bananas (about 6 1/2 oz or 185g, peeled)

1/2 cup or 120ml maple syrup

1/3 cup or 80ml milk 

2 tablespoons canola or other light oil, plus more for the pan

1 large egg

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C. Prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by lining it with paper muffin cups or greasing with a little oil or butter. I used a little canola oil and a pastry brush. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In another mixing bowl, mash the bananas and then add the maple syrup, milk, oil and egg.  Whisk to combine. 

Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients bowl. Fold until just combined. 

Divide the batter between the muffin cups in your prepared pan. Bake for about 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins from the pan. 

Serve warm, plain or with butter. 

My mom always needs extra butter but you do you.

Enjoy! 

It's the last Monday of the month so that means it's Muffin Monday! For some reason, corn seems to be featured this month. It wasn't planned! Check out all the great muffin recipes we have for you today, both sweet and savory. 

• Bacon Cheddar Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Coconut Cornbread Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Cornmeal Cheese Bomb Muffins from Magical Ingredients
• Honey Cornbread Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Pound Cake Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Maple Banana Cornbread Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Onion Crunch Corn Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Pineapple Coconut Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins from Making Miracles

 

 #MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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Indian-spiced Pork Chop Potato Skillet

In this Indian-Spiced Pork Chop Potato Skillet you cook the chops till tender in a spicy tomato-onion sauce. Add potatoes and you have a full meal in one pan.

I’ve written before about what an adventurous eater my mom is. Such a role model! She can’t pass a road stand or food stall without trying whatever they are serving up. Of course, being from southern Louisiana, eating spicy is in our blood, but when we moved to Trinidad, the flavors and spices we were introduced to, and she began to use in her cooking, increased exponentially. 

At the ripe old age of five, I was already a curry addict. After three years we moved on to the next country but Mom kept making curry. It was a true family favorite. The meat might vary - beef or chicken or pork -but there had to be potatoes and, since that was the tradition, she served it over white rice. 

Indian-spiced Pork Chop Potato Skillet

This recipe isn’t strictly a curry but it certainly has many of the same flavors. I adapted it from a pressure cooker recipe on Magpie’s Recipes to go with the Keralan appam I made for a Bread Bakers event, so I skipped the rice. Appam looks like a lacy crepe and it’s made with a fermented rice batter, so I figured I did have rice, just in another form. You can serve it with rice, if you want to, but it’s a great one-pan skillet meal even without it, thanks to the potatoes!

Ingredients

4 thick pork chops – about 225g or 1/2 lb each 

3 tablespoons vinegar  

1 teaspoon sugar 

1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium onions, sliced thin  (about 3/4 lb or 350g before peeling)

2 ripe beef steak or equivalent other tomatoes, cored and chopped (about 1 1/4 lbs or 600g whole) 

5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1 3/4 lbs or 790g whole)

1 stick cinnamon

3 cloves

3 green cardamom pods

1 teaspoon ground cayenne 

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Chopped green onions to garnish, if desired. 

Method

Use a mallet to pound the meat part of the pork chops flat. Sprinkle them with the vinegar and season with the salt, sugar and pepper.  

Cover them with cling film and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours, or even overnight. 

Heat one tablespoon of oil in your skillet and fry the chops two at a time over a high heat until browned on both sides. This should just take 3-4 minutes a side. Apologies for the lack of photos of this step. The chops kept spitting at the camera lens as they fried. Remove the chops to a clean plate. 

Drizzle in the second tablespoon of olive oil and add in the onions. Turn the fire down to medium and cook the onions for 5-6 minutes or until softened, breaking apart the slices with your stirring spoon. 

Add tomatoes and spices and stir. 

Return the chops to the pan and cover with a lid. Simmer for 30 minutes, checking occasionally and adding more water as needed so it doesn’t go dry. 

Add in the cubed potatoes and cook covered for another 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender, adding a little more salt, if necessary.

Remove the pork chops and stir the potatoes into the sauce to serve. Garnish with some green onions, if desired.

Enjoy! 

This week's Sunday FunDay theme is One Pot Wonders, delicious family meals with easy clean up to boot! Check out all the great recipes.  

• Arroz Caldo from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chicken Pot Pie Stew from Making Miracles
• Indian-spiced Pork Chop Potato Skillet from Food Lust People Love
• Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Malaysian-Inspired Chicken and Pork Curry from Palatable Pastime
• Mujaddara from Mayuri's Jikoni
• One-Pot Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup with Thyme from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice 
• Shakshuka from Sneha's Recipe
• Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Potatoes from Karen's Kitchen Stories

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Cookies and Cream Mini Bundts #BundtBakers

Cookies and Cream Mini Bundts are baked with Oreos and sour cream, then topped with cream glaze and more Oreos, a sweet treat your family will love!

 

I don’t remember when cookies and cream became a thing. It seems like I have loved the flavor forever. 

According to several sources, it was first created by a couple of dairy science students at South Dakota State University in 1979 at the instigation of Shirley Seas, a manager at their campus dairy plant. While they didn’t patent their invention, originally called Oreo ice cream, there were witnesses.

A little research (thanks, Wikipedia!) reveals that it probably came to my notice in 1980 when Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham, a small town about 75 miles from Houston began mass production of cookies and cream ice cream in Texas. It’s still one of top three flavors nationwide from any manufacturer. And right after seriously strong coffee ice cream, it’s mine.

And for the curious, it wasn’t until 1985 and 1997 respectively when Dairy Queen and McDonald’s started serving their soft serve ice cream treats (Blizzards and McFlurries) with Oreos mixed in.

Cookies and Cream Mini Bundts

The pan I used is from Nordic Ware called 65th Anniversary Bundt-lettes <affiliate link - that has a volume of five cups. For the Oreos, I used part of a bag of mini Oreos because they fit perfectly in the baked hole of the mini Bundts, allowing me to add the cream glaze and pop another one on top for decoration. You could also bake this batter as cupcakes, of course. They just wouldn't be as cute. 

Ingredients

For the cake batter:

1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for the pan

3/4 cup or 150g sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

3/4 cup or 180ml sour cream

1/4 cup or 60ml milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups or 156g all purpose flour, plus extra for the pan

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup or 85g chopped Oreos (I used the minis and cut them each in quarters.)

For the cream glaze:

3/4 cup or 94g powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Optional for decoration:

12 whole mini Oreos

Method

Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180°C. Butter and flour your Bundt-lettes pan. 

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

 

In a mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, for 1-2 minutes. Add in the egg and beat again till combined. 

Measure the sour cream and milk together in a measuring cup. Add in the vanilla extract and stir.

Add half of the sour cream mixture and half of the flour mixture to the main mixing bowl, beating until combined, 

Add the balance of both and beat again. 

Fold in the chopped Oreos. 

Divide the batter between the holes in your mini Bundt pan. 

Bake for about 25-30 minutes in your preheated oven or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top and edges are golden. My oven heats unevenly so I turned my pan around at about 22 minutes so it could brown more evenly. Mine took 30 minutes to bake. 

Remove the mini Bundts from the oven and leave them to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Run a toothpick around the edges of the pan to make sure the mini Bundts will release then invert the pan to turn the them out onto the wire rack. Cool completely before decorating with the cream glaze. 

To make the cream glaze, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. 

When the mini Bundt are completely cool, put a mini Oreo in each hole. Already so cute, right? I was sorely tempted to leave them just like that but I had already made the cream glaze and glaze is always a good thing. 

Decorate them with the cream glaze - I used a baggie with the corner cut off - and add one more mini Oreo on top. 

Enjoy! 

 

This month my Bundt Baker friends are sharing Bundts baked with nostalgic flavors from their childhoods. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla for the fun theme and her behind the scenes work. Check out the Bundts below: 

• All Too Sweet Mini Bundts by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Apple Bundt Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cookies and Cream Mini Bundts by Food Lust People Love
• Eggless Tutti Fruity Rawa/Semolina Bundt Cake by Sneha's Recipe
• Honey Cake Inspired Bundt Cake by Magical Ingredients
• Monster B'zert Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Strawberry Bundt Cake with Marshmallow Cream Filling by Patyco Candybar
• Sweet Potato Bundt with Cream Cheese Glaze by Sweet Sensations

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

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Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon (Instant Pot)

Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon is rich and flavorful, a hearty comforting meal for cold winter nights, made quicker than usual in an Instant Pot. 

Normally beef bourguignon requires a long slow braise to tenderize the meat, which is all very fine and well if you have the time. If I’m being honest, these days I mostly do. That said, ever since our kitchen renovation early in 2020 when I was cooking in my Instant Pot in the laundry room, I’ve been enamored with that small appliance. Why not use it? 

The Instant Pot makes short work of a long braise (35 minutes!) and best of all, there’s only one pot to clean. Whenever my mom sees me taking it out, she wonders what my grandmother would have thought of such a thing. As a working woman still expected to put a meal on the table every day, I think she would have been intrigued. I know she used her pressure cooker and this is just a more efficient one. 

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, by all means fry the bacon, brown the beef and sauté the onions and celery in a skillet on the stove, then transfer the whole lot into a slow cooker. Add the stock, wine, carrots and mushrooms and cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the beef is tender. 

Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon

A traditional beef bourguignon does include mushrooms but they are definitely a supporting player for the star beef. In this recipe, I’ve significantly upped the amount of mushrooms and used “beefier” baby bellas instead of the standard white mushrooms, cutting larger ones in quarters and halving smaller ones. This is a great way to both stretch your beef budget and make this a healthier meal. 

Ingredients

1 lbs 10oz or 740g top sirloin beef

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup or 31g all-purpose flour

Olive oil

3 slices thick-cut bacon, (about 4 oz or 115g) 

2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 7 1/4 oz or 205g)

3 celery stalks (about 3 1/2 oz or 100g)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 9 1/3 oz or 265g)

1 lb or 450g fresh baby bella mushrooms, cleaned

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup or 240ml dry red wine plus extra for the cook

2 cups or 480ml beef broth

For a slurry to thicken the sauce:

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Method

Trim the fat and gristle off of the beef and discard. Cut the meat into small chunks. Sprinkle the chunks liberally with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Peel the onion and carrots. Finely chop the onion and celery stalks. Cut the carrot into chunks. 

Trim any hard stems off of the mushrooms and quarter the larger ones. Halve the smaller ones.

Sprinkle the seasoned beef with some of the flour. I have a small sieve I use for this purpose and it works really well to get even coverage. Toss the beef pieces around a little and keep sprinkling the flour on until the beef is evenly coated. 

Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode adjusted to medium heat (the middle light). Fry the bacon in the pot until it is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a plate and set aside.

Add the cubed chuck to your Instant pot in batches so that you don't overcrowd the pot, and sear it for 3-4 minutes, using tongs to turn the meat and sear all sides.

When the brown crust is formed, it will release from the Instant Pot so just be patient. Remove each batch of beef once seared. Set aside. I piled mine up on top of the bacon. 

Turn the Instant Pot off and add in the onions and celery. 

Let them sit without stirring for a few minutes. The residual heat from the sauté function will continue to cook them and when you do start stirring, you will be able to use a wooden spoon or spatula to free all the browned goodness from the bottom of the Instant Pot. 

Now turn the sauté function back on and set it to low. Continue to cook the celery and onion until they are softened, about five minutes. Add the beef chunks and the bacon back into the pot. Stir well to mix the vegetables and the beef. 

Pour in the stock and red wine. 

Add in the fresh thyme then the carrots. 

Now pile in the mushrooms. Do not stir! For optimum tenderness, we want to be sure the beef is completely covered by the stock and wine.

Cook on the stew setting under pressure for 35 minutes. When time is up, turn the Instant Pot off. Use a towel to cover the steam lever and carefully release the pressure. 

Remove the lid. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef, carrots and mushrooms and put them in a large bowl. 

According the markings on the inside of the Instant Pot, you should have about 3 cups of liquid left in the pot. Cook on the sauté high setting for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by one third, that is to say you will have two cups left. 

Make a slurry of the cornstarch and cold water. Turn the Instant Pot off and whisk constantly as you pour the slurry in. Since the pot is still very hot, it should thicken right up. 

Add the beef, mushrooms and carrots back in and stir gently to coat them with the sauce. Have a taste and add a little fine sea salt and black pepper as needed. 

Serve with some extra thyme leaves for garnish, if desired. This is great over white rice or mashed potatoes. 

Enjoy!

It's MultiCooker Monday! Check out all the small appliance cooked dishes my friends are sharing today. Many thanks to our group leader and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Air Fryer Salmon from Making Miracles
• Air Fryer Taquitos from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Beef and Mushroom Bourguignon - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love
• Game Day Crockpot Frozen Chicken Breasts from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Nepali Style Vegetable Pulao-Pressure Cooker from Sneha's Recipe
• Port Braised Short Ribs (Instant Pot) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Pie Spiced Vegan Pumpkin and Green Gram Curry from Magical Ingredients
• Southern Style Green Beans (Instant Pot) from Palatable Pastime

Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group. 

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