[A patisserie school in the States. JIMMY is conducting a croissant making class. He is an enthusiastic Scot with a love of all things French. He has a French girlfriend called Celeste who he met on his gap yah. He’s a bit of a twat, but he really does mean well. He drops in and out of French easily and speaks in very broad Scots. Could be camp, but don’t milk it.]
-Many of you here will not realise that croissant’s origins begin not in France, but in Austria. The Kipferl as it was know. Documented as far back as the 13th Century in a variety of shapes, not just the crescent shape that we all know and love today. It was not until one man and his viennoiserie in, let’s say, well, 1839 or so came along that the French really caught on to this delightful puff pastry treat. A man named August Zang – an Austrian living in Paris (where I have spent many years and studied) – founded a Viennese bakery on the rue de Richelieu, number 92 and began to serve and sell this popular baked good. It was not just for breakfast. There is actual no record of it being purely a breakfast staple. I’ve searched all the books in Paris looking for this, but alas it is not to be found, my petits boulangers
Today, ladies and gentleman, we are here to learn not just the history, but also the technique. The puff pastry that typifies the one – the only – the croissant. The moon-shaped treat that is enjoyed all over the world.
Now can anyone tell me, what are the three main ingredients in the pâte feuilletée.
Anyone?
Yes, Henry!
ENDS
PHILIPPA MANNION 