When Erin Swanson was hired to lead the pastry program at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wis. three years ago, the garde manger team had been in charge of baking. The executive pastry chef position was a new one.
Although not a native, “I learned that Wisconsin is steeped in French culture, with many of the early fur traders coming down from Canada,” said the executive pastry chef. “They often mispronounced the name of the state, calling it ‘Ouisconsin,’ like the word for ‘yes’ in French.”
Since Swanson was tasked with elevating the baking program, she dug into those French roots and started with that very French breakfast pastry, the croissant. She perfected an authentic hand-crafted preparation and baking technique that takes three days, introduced new flavors and rotating LTOs, and is sourcing local and regional ingredients, including several of Wisconsin’s farmstead cheeses.
The result is a line of croissants that consistently sells out at the resort’s Grand Central coffee shop.
From start to finish
“We offer four specialty croissants daily plus a monthly LTO,” said Swanson, who added more flavors when she came on board. Plain, chocolate and almond croissants are always available as well, with the plain variety served for breakfast and lunch at the resort’s restaurant, too.
The first step is making the “poolish” or sponge, a starter that’s a combination of yeast and liquid that activates the fermentation process, she said. The next day, the poolish is combined with flour to form a dough. The croissant dough is left to rise until the lamination step takes place on the third day.
Lamination is what gives croissants their characteristic flaky texture and buttery flavor. “We use 82% butterfat butter for the best result,” said Swanson. The butter is layered in the dough and the dough is folded and rolled many times to create multiple thin layers of pastry when baked.
Here’s where the Wisconsin connection enters the picture. The Grand Geneva culinary team sources many local and regional ingredients that make it into the pastry program. Cheeses from Hill Valley Dairy, Spotted Cow creamery and BelGioioso differentiate some of the new croissant varieties Swanson has introduced. One of the meat-filled pastries uses Nueske’s bacon, a favorite of chefs that’s produced in Wisconsin, while other meats are sourced from the regional 4-H youth development program where students raise farm animals.
“Although it’s not well-known, Wisconsin is a large producer of cranberries,” said Swanson. She took advantage of their availability and freshness to create a cranberry chutney, that is incorporated into one of the croissant varieties.
National Croissant Day launches the lineup
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa took advantage of National Croissant Day on Jan. 30 to launch a collection of new flavors.
Swanson and her baking team created four new varieties: an everything bagel-spiced croissant filled with house-smoked salmon, arugula and herbed BelGioioso mascarpone; a French onion soup croissant featuring Spotted Cow gouda cheese and onions caramelized for four hours in stock mixed with Wisconsin’s own New Glarus beer; The Elvis, made with Nueske’s bacon, peanut butter and bananas; and a BLTA croissant filled with bacon, Hill Valley tomato-basil cheddar cheese and avocado.
“The BLTA didn’t sell that well, so I’m not sure we’ll do that one again,” said Swanson.
What turned into a best seller was February’s Valentine-themed Red Velvet Croissant. The exterior dough is tinted red with natural food color and it’s filled with chocolate and cream cheese.
The pastry team bakes only 50 specialty croissants a day, so a numbered system helps track how many remain.
Another February special was a Monte Cristo Croissant with local ham, Wisconsin gruyère-style cheese and raspberry jam. For March, there’s a ratatouille and muenster cheese version. “We don’t post our flavors too far ahead in case we can’t source the ingredients,” said Swanson, but she is thinking about stone fruits for summer and pumpkin in the fall.
Small batch baking with big results
Since the croissants are in high demand and only 50 of the featured ones are made per day, Swanson came up with the idea to create numbered cards. Customers who order a croissant are given a card with a number from 1-50 so the crowd can keep track of how many are left in the batch.
But those who lose out have other tempting baked goods to choose from. “We make Danish from scratch as well as muffins and cream puffs,” said Swanson. Top-notch cinnamon rolls are purchased locally, and house-baked cookies and brownies are available all day at the Grand Central coffee shop.