In search of the perfect croissant

There are few things in the culinary arena that I haven’t tried my hand at over the years. Like most chefs my natural bias is towards working the stove top, grilling, sauteeing, poaching, stewing, vast bubbling pots of stocks and sauces but occasionally I’ve ventured into the pastry kitchen with less than stunning although still edible results. But one thing which has eluded me is how to make a decent croissant. Oh, I’ve eaten thousands of them all over the world, I know exactly what the perfect croissant should be, buttery, flaky and feather light but this pastry chef’s work of art is one of the kitchen’s supreme tests of skill.
Although something similar may have been already in production, we can pinpoint exactly when the croissant as we know it was invented. As the Turks tried to invade Budapest in 1686 by digging under the city walls, bakers, who were already at their work, raised the alarm and the attackers were chased off. As a reward for their vigilance the government allowed them to sell a speciality at a premium price which was essentially a bread roll which they cheekily shaped like a crescent to mock the crescent moon of the Turkish flag but it was the French who, later in the 19 th century, created the now familiar flaky dough that we associate with the dish.
Some things just haven’t changed as far as the modern croissant is concerned, especially in Cape Town . We still pay a premium price for what is flour, fat and water, many of our bakers must be of Turkish origin because they still produce croissants which are beautifully shaped but taste like bread rolls and when you can find one which is buttery, flaky, crisp on the outside, tender and moist in the middle, then you can also find a little bit of kindness in your heart and forgive the French for lots of other sins.