A Moment of Buttery Bliss

What is this? This moment of buttery bliss?

Not long ago, Cathy from my writing group, wrote about making homemade croissants with her granddaughter. Prior to the actual creation of the lovely little crescents, they went on an investigative mission: searching out good croissants in Oakville.

My ears immediately perked up. A search for the perfect croissant in Oakville? I was in!

Cathy’s essay was delightful and descriptive, with information on French pastry making that I never knew (the Détrempe, the Beurrage – these were terms unfamiliar to me). With her wry humour, the piece was incredibly funny, resisting the obvious approach of turning it into a sentimental grandmother-granddaughter cooking story.

But long after our writing session ended, what lingered in the back of my mind was: I need to go get myself some croissants.

Today was the day. I decided I would go to three places.

My first stop: The Danish Pastry House. This business, founded on authentic Danish recipes and traditions, has several locations in the GTA, with one in Oakville. I bought my single croissant ($2.50).

Second stop: I wanted to try a new French bakery that had recently opened in Oakville and that Cathy had mentioned. It was closed. Who closes a bakery on Sundays? Instead I drove to another French bakery (Patisserie D’Or) in a strip mall, away from downtown Oakville. The bakery boasts a French chef with everything made on site. I purchased my second croissant, a great big fat one ($3.40)

I needed one more. I picked up my third croissant ($2.15) at a Portuguese bakery not far from home. I also purchased a Portuguese tart and a round loaf of white corn bread. Because who can leave a bakery with only one item?

Once home, I heated up the oven, placed my three precious pastries on a baking sheet and gently warmed them. My plan was to cut three halves and alternate a few bites of each to allow for a fair comparison.

The Danish House croissant was crispy and flaky on the outside, buttery and moist on the inside, just as a croissant should be. It was quite small though, and had I only bought a single croissant, I would have been left wanting more.

Luckily, I had two more.

The croissant from Patisserie D’Or was a little flakier, a little more French-pastry-like, a little softer on the inside. I chewed slowly, imagining myself sitting at an outdoor café in France with a café au lait, watching smartly-dressed people stroll by. But who among us is travelling across the pond to France these days? Back to earth, or rather my kitchen counter. I liked the size of the croissant. It was larger than the other two (although it was also the most expensive). Croissants should be big and fat.

Next – the croissant from the Portuguese bakery. While tasty, it was a bit on the greasy side. Perhaps they used oil instead of butter? Mais non! Un sacrilege! Even so, it was better than a croissant bought in a bag or box at a grocery store.

Reader, I would like to say I finished all three, but I could not. Two halves still remain, to be reheated and eaten tomorrow (or later today). However, my craving for buttery bliss has been satiated (for now).

It may not be quite the same as sitting at a table on a sidewalk in Europe, but a little bit of butter, a little flaky morsel, goes a long way.