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Laurent outside his pâtisserie on a beautiful afternoon. |
Pastry Chef Laurent Dupal
Born and raised in Nancy (Lorraine) Laurent decided at the early age of fourteen that his professional life would be spent as a pastry chef and entered Nancy's culinary training facility. Now fresh out of school with a diploma and a chef's jacket Laurent joined the "Compagnons" and began the requisite "Tour de France". Managing to work with some of the finest chefs his "tour" took him to Paris, Bordeaux and Tours. After completing this intensive training the Club Med offered him to join and expand his traveling to Spain, Tunisia, and the Caribbean.
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In 1992 returning to New York Laurent, with help from friends and acquaintances, decided to open his first pastry store. Soho was becoming a place to be and 55 Spring Street would become the eclectic "Ceci-Cela" pastry store filled with memorabilia from Paris and France.
In 2002 a second store would be added in Tribeca and further develop a now successful business.
The "Tour de France des Compagnons" does not require a bicycle and is probably the only one Lance Armstrong cannot claim as a victory. Each new "compagon" or "artisan" is required to work with older "compagnons", now established as professionals, in his or her field in different regions of France - a traveling internship transmitting knowledge and "savoir-faire" from past generations.
A note from Chef Laurent: The croissants you are buying from L'Epicerie are ready-to-bake. They are handmade one at a time and are the exact same ones we bake everyday in our kitchen for our stores. That is also why we shipped them the same day you order them. We take pride in fashioning each of them by hand and not to rely on a plant for manufacturing.
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| Laurent demonstrates step-by-step how to bake your viennoiseries at home |
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The step-by-step shown here is the same for all our viennoiseries.
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Get your frozen croissants or viennoiseries out of your freezer the night (or six to eight hours if prepared during daytime) before baking them. Prepare a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and a bowl containing cold water. We use a heavy black steel sheet pan but an aluminum one will do as well.
Note: Your croissants or viennoiseries must be kept in your freezer until you are ready to use them.
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Open the package, separate the viennoiseries and discard packaging. Dip each croissant or viennoiserie individually in cold water and place them onto the parchment paper. Make sure to leave enough space around each viennoiserie to allow for full rising of the dough.
Note:Leave enough space around each viennoiserie to allow for full rising of the dough - about 2" from the edges and from each other.
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Using plastic film cover each sheet pan carefully to avoid a crust to build up while viennoiseries are rising. Your croissants are ready for a rest and a slow rise (six to eight hours or overnight maximum). An overheated kitchen or non air-conditionned room will rise them too quickly.
Note: Do not wrap ends of film underneath the sheet pan as this would prevent croissants from rising. Roll or crumble edges of film onto itself and lay flat on parchment paper. |
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Note: It is time to turn on your oven and set temperature to 350ºF to allow for a pre-heating of at least ten to fifteen minutes.
Your croissants are now completely risen and almost ready to bake. One more small operation is needed after removal of the film to give them the beautiful shiny golden appearance crust we enjoy on a fully baked croissant.
The plastic film is sticking to the top of croissants and care must be taken to remove this film. Starting from the edge away from you pull slowly and carefully the film in a rolling motion making sure not to lift the croissant from the sheet pan.
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Break and separate an egg keeping the yolk only. Beat with a fork adding a teaspoon of cold water. Add a pinch of salt and beat a little more.
See next photo: Working with a light and fast touch using a pastry brush (1-1/2" wide) carefully "paint" the egg wash onto your croissants. Use mostly the flat part of the brush to avoid damaging the croissants with the tip of the brush. This step will give your croissants the beautiful and appetizing shiny golden color.
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Use care not to let the egg wash overrun this would stick your croissants to the sheet pan. There is no need to paint every nook and cranny. Work fast and do not overdo it.
Bake into your pre-heated oven (this is important to allow for a more even baking) for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown. The time depends on your oven, altitude and atmospheric conditions of your region.
Note: While baking do not open the door too frequently as the cold air will prevent further rise and even baking of croissants.
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Your beautifully baked croissants are hot out of the oven and ready to eat. The result of our team effort in both expertise and care. Let them "sweat" a bit, allowing steam inside the croissants to escape (about five minutes) before removing them from the sheet pan and enjoy them. Rise the pan to allow air circulation and prevent burning your counter. Please make sure not to let children touch or come near the heated pan. Just baked croissants are a magnet for both kids and grown-ups.
Note: If you baked them in advance or have letovers from the day before I would suggest to warm them up in the oven for a about five to six minutes at 300ºF to get a crispier taste.
Note for Pain aux raisins (Raisin Danish): Raisin danishes are typically covered with an apricot or clear glaze (available in our Pastry Ingredients section) to get the shine and are better enjoyed cooled down or even cold.
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| Shipping information |
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Ceci-cela croissants and viennoiseries will ship the exact same day you placed your order with L'Epicerie, for any order placed before 2:00pm Monday through Thursday. We ship overnight (Mon-Thur) or 2-day service (Mon - Wed) by UPS in our own insulated foam container. Our containers are designed to hold your order frozen for up to a two-day service. We recommend you buy multiple packaging of croissants or viennoiseries to make it cost effective. The first pounds (for Next Day Air or 2nd Day services) are the most expensive ones therefore it does make sense to order more and save on shipping. Please call us if you need further information.
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| Visit Ceci-Cela |
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Ceci-Cela Pâtisserie has two locations in Manhattan. The original pâtisserie is located in the heart of Soho and opened in October 1992. The second pâtisserie opened in 2002 in Tribeca. Both locations also sell the ready-to-bake viennoiseries.
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Ceci-Cela
55 Spring Street
New York NY 10012
212-274-9179
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Ceci-Cela
166 Chambers Street
New York NY 10013
212-566-8933
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| Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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We have tasted all the ingredients and products featured on this site for their outstanding quality and method of fabrication. We have selected only a handful of artisans and manufacturers for each category to ensure only a very short stay of these products in our warehouse. A smaller selection of manufacturers and a rapid turnaround is your guarantee to a fresh and outstanding product. If for any reason you or those who received your products and/or gifts are not wholly satisfied with them, we will replace them or offer a full refund. For more information please contact us toll-free by calling 866-350-7575 or by sending an e-mail to Customer_Service@lepicerie.com.
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| Still have additional questions about these Ceci-Cela ready-to-bake? |
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Please call us toll-free at 866-350-7575 or send an e-mail to our product specialist: pia@lepicerie.com
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