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Saturday
Jun092012

review: Trader Joe's Croissants

credit: www.yogateau.com

Yogateau is to blame.  That's my sister's website, devoted to yoga in Paris.  And it's awesome.  And you should immediately check it out AFTER you've finished this post.  

For the past week, and then a lot since Yogateau's Monday post, 

I have been craving fresh croissants every morning.

Sadly, a good croissant is hard to come by under normal circumstances in the area where I live.  There are none within walking distance, which is, of course, the ideal -- that is, to press Play on the coffeemaker, pop out the door with a shopping bag and return minutes later after a brightly sung-out "Bonjour, messieurs/dames" with a baguette, croissants, and maybe, if it's a special day, a chausson aux pommes or a chocolatine, the name we learned as kids for what is now called, so boring, croissant au chocolat.

Alas, the closest acceptable croissant within driving distance is 40 minutes round-trip on the freeway either north or south, courtesy of La Boulange (a place I love, chapeau to them for their sale to Starbucks, meaning there will be more La Boulanges, which to me is a very good thing).  And since I can't drive now, doctor's orders, that's out, and anyway, going that far first thing in the morning is ridicule. And going the day-before, meaning day-old croissants, is not the point, either.

So left without options for ready-made fresh goodies, I did what we all do nowadays: I Googled.

And found that I could buy a package of 15 frozen croissants from Williams Sonoma for the staggering price of $39.99 + shipping & handling (no, I am not kidding), or send my assistant to Trader Joe's on his way home to check the freezer case, see if perhaps our local outlet carries the package of 8 mini-croissants I'd found in my interweb-search.  He also picked up for me the chocolate and almond varieties, but I'm saving those for now.

I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's normally.  Other than the produce (which is generally overpackaged), their prepared foods are not packed with miserable, unpronounceable chemicals and there are so many tasty treats per aisle, always something new and fun to discover.  

So, the croissants.  They must be set out the night before to proof.  According to the package, "You will be astounded by how much these grow."  I always love claims like that, like garage sale signs that use the word Epic, for example.  [Truth: I did buy a sweet Anthropologie skirt for $5 at the sale that advertised itself as Epic, so maybe there was also something to be believed in TJ's claim?]  Anyway, I sure HOPED they would grow because set out to proof, there were incredibly small.  And just look what happened!

 

So, the moment of truth arrives. The kitchen is filled with the delicious aroma of fresh baked goodies, and it's time finally, to see if this purchase at Trader Joe's was worth it, will fulfill my craving.

Verdict: délicieux!

The outside (brushed with egg wash just before going in the oven to bake for 15 minutes) had the right feel, the inside was pull-apart soft, it was buttery, it was light, it had the right crumbs.  In short, it hit ze spot!

Those who are calorie-conscious may appreciate that one of these darling croissants is just 150 calories.  For me that just meant that I ate two.

Which leaves 5 (Joe snagged one on his way out the door to work) for company coming to coffee later this morning.

I can't say these croissants are something I will do every day.  I imagine that when I return to j-o-b, there will be no time for the egg-wash, the oven preheat, the bake, the recommended 10-minute wait before eating. 

But for the weekend, when I have the hankering and want to stay put, it's Trader Joe's mini-croissants for me.  Youpie! 

 

And NOW please do go visit Yogateau if you haven't already.  Even if you're not planning on practicing yoga in Paris, it's still filled with wonderful, inspiring content.  Enjoy!

Reader Comments (1)

Now I'm hungry and I'm trying to avoid carbs right now. Oh well, those yummy pics won't hurt. Now I will checkout Yogateau.

June 10, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJoanne

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