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French bread, pastries add richness to holiday spread
Now that McAllen has a genuine French bakery and pastry shop, perhaps those who are so inclined might incorporate a bit of France into their Christmas celebrations.
Olivier’s French Bakery, which is located at 1126 Pecan Blvd. in McAllen, finally opened earlier this month.
Its owner, Olivier Nicol, started promoting his shop about a year before by selling his homemade French bread and pastries door-to-door and at the farmer’s market at Alhambra each Saturday morning.
The biggest issue Nicol and his pastry chef James Blake have had since opening is keeping the display case well-stocked, since their baked goods seem to sell out so quickly.
“(We’re) starting from scratch every day,” Blake said. “The feedback has been really good and (customers) have been buying us out every day, so it’s a very positive thing.”
So Nicol kneads the dough and bakes his bread, while Blake prepares colorful and sweet pastries for the shop.
Adding a French dessert can be as easy as purchasing an entremet, which is a layered pastry made with cake and mousse. Or maybe a fresh fruit tart with custard.
Another way would be to transform various French breads into desserts, breakfast or side dishes for a holiday celebration.
Nicol suggests using croissants in place of regular bread in a bread pudding.
“I just love it with croissants,” he said.
Croissants are made with about 50 percent butter, Nicol said, so the dish would be decadent.
A bread pudding can be sweet or savory, and croissants, as Nicol points out, are not sweet at all, so they’re versatile.
Blake, who has been cooking for nearly 25 years (as a pastry chef for 20 years), has worked as a chef in several countries, including New Zealand, Japan and Thailand. With a degree in food science, he understands food to its core.
Still, Blake likes to keep his French toast simple.
“I go with cinnamon, nutmeg and heavy cream, of course,” to flavor the custard used for French toast.
He suggests using brioche. The classic dense French loaf sits somewhere in between a bread and pastry because of its rich and buttery taste. Also, it’s usually served with sweet accompaniments, such as jam or pastry cream.
Serving salad as a starter is popular, though those who want to really embrace French traditions might want to serve the salad after the main dish and before dessert. Topping a fresh bed of greens with homemade croutons is an elegant touch and much easier than it may seem.
A loaf of ficelle is ideal for making croutons. It’s a lot like a baguette, but much thinner, and therefore it has more crust to it. Simply slice the bread into disks, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and then toast in a warm oven until crisp.
Nicol and his family likely will end their meal with a slice of Bûche de Noël, or Yule log, the traditional Christmas confection.
It’s made of a thin chocolate sponge cake, brushed with simple syrup, rolled with a pastry cream and then topped with buttercream frosting.
Blake said the best ingredient the family cook can use on the whole Christmas spread is patience.
“Don’t try to rush anything, you know? Just mise en place — have everything ready to go so it’s easy for you so you can enjoy your company,” he said. “The food always tastes better when you’re eating it with family.”
Oliver’s French Bakery will take as many special orders as it can accommodate. To make a request, call (956) 562-4075.
WHERE: 1126 Pecan Blvd., McAllen
HOURS: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday; Closed Mondays, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
Amy Nichol Smith covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. She can be reached at [email protected], (956) 683-4420 and on Facebook.
Bread Making with Bill & Sheila
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