Now that I have learned to make puff pastry by hand at Culinary School, I can whole heartedly admit that my appreciation for croissants and the like has found a whole new level. The process itself isn't actually complicated, but it is time consuming and requires a lot of energy if done by hand. Boulangerie du Pain et des Idees is one of Paris' most famous bakeries, and is usually completely sold out before noon every day. They pride themselves in utilizing traditional techniques, which is completely justified, as there are less and less traditional bakeries in Paris. In my opinion, the make one of the best pure butter croissants and they have incredible variations on the classic raisin escargot (snails) such as lemon nougat, pistachio or raspberry chocolate.
