Market Square 9/1/12

I cannot believe September is upon us. As I've approached autumn, there have been a lot of things on my mind besides the baking business. This past week, I finally gave in and ripped the tomato plants out of my garden to make way for winter greens, radishes, turnips, and beets. I harvested the last elderberries from a tree just down the road and started infusing vodka to make a homemade liqueur. I made watermelon rind pickles, brandied figs, melon jam, and I strained my most recent batch of bitters (rhubarb + rose petals + vanilla bean).
We're also making some last preparations for our wedding, which will be at the end of the month. Heads up. I won't be doing market that week ;)
I'd like to go into more detail about one of the products I've just started offering: croissants. My method is very old-school in that I use a preferment. This means that I combine some flour, yeast, and milk the night before I mix my dough. I put this in the refrigerator overnight, and the next morning, it's full of tiny bubbles which, more than anything, are indicators that the years has done its work. This preferment serves one principal purpose: flavor. The preferment functions as a sourdough starter would. It slowly develops flavor, and when you mix it into your dough, you're adding flavor along with a healthy colony of yeast to jump start the dough.
This is a very time-consuming method. I start the preferment on Wednesday night, mix the dough and laminate it (roll and fold, roll and fold, roll and fold) on Thursday throughout the day, and I shape and bake the croissants on Friday. Large, commercial bakeries that make croissants do not tend to use a preferment, and they have special equipment to help them roll out the dough and even cut it into perfect triangles. I do not have this kind of equipment. I do things the old-fashioned way, and I don't hesitate to say that you'd be hard pressed to find a croissant made this way even in France. Not to brag, but I think they're pretty awesome.
In any case, I'll be at the market this Saturday, and hopefully I can tempt you with some of my latest baked creations. See you then!

Butternut Squash Scones (local organic butternut squash)--$3

Cheddar Scallion Biscuits--$3

Croissants (plain and dark chocolate)--$3 and $4

Fig Almond Tarts (all-butter pastry crust, almond filling, fresh figs)--$5

Salted Chocolate Shortbreads (dark chocolate, sea salt)--$2/bag

Dark Chocolate Mint Cookies--$1/ea.

Lemon-Thyme Polenta Bread With Walnuts--$3/slice

Almond Orange Flower Loaf--$3/slice

Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Brownies--$3

Gluten-Free Lemon Bars--$3

Seeded Granola--$7/ 12 ounces

Chocolate-Rum Cakelets--$2/ea. or $5 for 3

Lemon-Ginger Bundt--$3/slice

Market Square 8/18/12

Sorry I've been a bit lax in my posting the past couple weeks. Planning a wedding will do that to you. But I've been at the market, and I plan to be there this weekend, barring unforeseen circumstances. Last week, I got a lot of really great feedback about my baked goods. Please never hesitate to let me know what you think. You can also email me at petitbleu88 at gmail dot com.
Please pay extra attention to the fact that I now have croissants available. These are real croissants, unlike the kind you buy at the grocery store or Wal-Mart. I start the dough on Wednesday night in order to have them ready by Saturday market. It's a real labor of love and something, as far as I know, that you can't find anywhere else in Knoxville. Avail yourself of these buttery, flaky beauties.

--Raspberry Lime Spelt Scones--$3
--Bacon and Cheddar Chipotle Biscuits--$3 (Benton's bacon, of course)
--REAL Croissants--$4 (plain or chocolate)
--Fig Almond Tarts--$4 (all-butter pastry crust; almond filling; black mission figs)
--Brunch Pizzas With Peppers, Potatoes, Prosciutto, and Queso--$4 (homemade dough)
--Lime Cardamom Shortbread With Pistachios--$2/bag
--Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies--$1/ea.
--Brown Butter Butternut Squash Loaf--$3/slice (local butternut squash)
--Ginger Peach Streusel Muffins--$3 (local peaches)
--Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Brownies--$3
--Lemon Bars--$3
--Granola--$7/12 oz
--Fresh Ginger Cakelets--$2/ea. or $5 for 3
--Mimosa Pound Cake--$3/slice
--Gluten-Free Cocoa Almond Pound Cake--$3.50/slice