The last time I was in Israel a friend brought us to La Gaterie in Tel Aviv, a tiny bake shop where enormous, flaky croissants would get sliced in half and stuffed with the fillings of your choice: anything from Nutella to brie and honey to ham and cheese. (Yes, ham in Israel.)
Fast forward, and unique flavored croissants are cropping up all over the country, from garlic bread and lavender croissants at Dominique Ansel Kitchen in New York City to baklava croissants at Gjusta in Los Angeles, and even everything croissants at my favorite local bakery in Montclair, New Jersey. And since I am a bit of a pastry and croissant fiend, I can really get behind what I hope will be a new trend.
Never one to sit on the sidelines, I figured I might as well throw my hat in the ring. Of course, I am hardly a French-trained pastry chef, but my love of those canned croissants (and biscuits) is well documented.
I chose one sweet version and one savory, but this is definitely the kind of baking project for experimentation, so pick flavors that speak to you.
Ingredients
1 package store-bought crescent rolls
Suggested fillings:
tahini + chocolate chips
Nutella + crumbled halva
za’atar + feta cheese
harissa + goat cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove crescent rolls from packaging and separate. Spread thin layer of tahini on each one. Top with around 1 tsp of chopped dark chocolate on each triangle. (Can also be replicated with thin layer of za’atar spice + 1/2 tsp feta; thin layer of Nutella + 1 tsp chopped halva pieces; or thin layer of harissa + 1 tsp goat cheese)
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. Bake according to directions, around 15-17 minutes.
Serve.
