French Women Don't Get Fat - Recipe for Croissants

Step-By-Step Instructions on How to Prepare France's Favorite Bread

Croissants are to the French as apple pie and ice cream is to Americans. It is a part of their diet and their life and it is allowed on the recasting diet.

French Women Don't Get Fat was first published in 2004 and has been translated into 40 languages. It has sold over 3 million copies and the main premise is that it is okay to eat and enjoy, but to eat slowly. French women do eat bread and this book teaches the dieter to learn to eat for pleasure.

When eating bread there are some rules attached though. The slices are counted and they do not eat before the first course is served. The art of making croissants can be mastered rather quickly, but they do take time to make. It will take several days to complete.

Mireille suggest that you start on a Friday evening, so that they can be enjoyed on Sunday for breakfast. This step by step guide will teach how to make these croissants simply and easily and then the entire family will be so happy. This recipe is reprinted with permission from Mireille Guiliano's website.

How to Make Croissants the French Women Don't Get Fat Way

Ingredients

• 260ml milk plus 2 tablespoons to brush over croissants
• 250 grams sifted plain or strong white flour plus 3 tablespoons (measure and reserve in separate bowls)
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 180 grams unsalted butter

 

Directions on Preparing Croissants

1. On Friday evening (day 1), heat 65ml milk to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm milk, stir in about 6 tablespoons of flour (from the 250 grams of flour), and whisk until there are no lumps left.
2. Cover with cling film and let stand at room temperature until doubled in volume (it will take about 20 minutes).
3. Mix sugar and salt into the remaining flour.
4. Heat the remaining 195ml of milk to lukewarm. Transfer the raised dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add lukewarm milk, with the mixer at high speed, start adding the sugar, salt and flour mixture, a little at a time. Lower the speed to low-medium on the mixer and continue to mix until the dough is sticky soft.
5. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
6. On Saturday Morning, bring the butter to room temperature and work with the heel of hand to incorporate the 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth and shaped into squares.
7. Sprinkle the working surface (marble is best) with flour, shape the cold dough into a 38 x 15cm rectangle and spread the softened butter square on the upper 2/3 of the rectangle, leaving a 1cm border around the sides and top.
8. Fold the dough like a letter in thirds, folding the bottom third up first. Turn the dough anti-clockwise (it will look like a notebook with the open flap on your right). Then again roll out the dough into a 38 x 15 cm rectangle and fold as before.
9. Transfer the dough unto a baking pan and cover with cling film. Refrigerate the dough overnight for 6 hours.
10. On Saturday afternoon (day 2), roll out the dough two more times, wrap and refrigerate overnight.
11. On Sunday morning (day 3), about 1 1/2 hours before baking time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle flour on the working surface. Roll the dough into a 40cm circle, working as quickly as possible. Using a knife, cut into quarters and then each quarter into 3 triangles.
12. With both hands, roll the base of each triangle towards the remaining corner. Do not curl the ends in a croissant shape. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons of milk. Let stand at room temperature for about 45 minutes or until the croissants have doubled in volume.
13. Preheat oven to gas mark 6 or 200 degrees C. Brush croissants with the glaze and bake for 15-20 minutes. If the croissants brown too fast, cover them loosely with foil. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

The first time this recipe is tried, it may seem daunting, but with practice the art of making croissants will be second nature. It is a pleasure very few can actually enjoy daily or even yearly, but it is indeed more satisfying than a stale diet cracker.

Photo courtesy of Photobucket/Soggy_waffle

French Women Don't Get Fat - Easy Dessert Recipes

Healthy and Easy to Prepare Low Calorie Dessert Recipes

Low calorie desserts do not need to be bland and tasteless. Mireille Guiliano shows how to enjoy life and lose weight at the same time with these delicious recipes.

Low calorie dessert recipes are plentiful in Mireille Guiliano's book, "French Women Don't Get Fat." Mireille shows how to recast the stomach by ridding the body of harmful offenders, such as sugar and white flour and replace them with low calorie, healthy foods. Healthy low calorie desserts help the dieter stay on the program for life. French women do indulge in treats and pleasures, but limit the portions. These recipes are being printed with permission from Mireille Guiliano website.

 

Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients

• 10 ounces strawberries, de-stemmed and halved
• 1 plain yogurt (1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 4 ice cubes

Yield: 2 servings

Directions on How to Make the Smoothie

Put all the ingredients in a blender. Blend till smooth. Serve at once.

 

Figs and Ricotta Cheese with Honey

Ingredients

• 12 large figs
• 1 pound fresh whole milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons wildflower honey

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Directions to Prepare the Figs and Ricotta Cheese With Honey

Quarter figs and arrange them on plates. Add a spoonful of ricotta to each fig and a generous drizzle of honey.

Melon and Lime Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 large honeydew melon or 2 small cantaloupes
• 1 large lime
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum (optional)
• Mint leaves or lime wedges, for garnish

Yield: 6 servings

Directions to Prepare the Melon and Lime Sauce

1. Cut the honeydew or cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds. Using a melon baller, remove balls of the melon flesh and place them in a large bowl.
2. With a vegetable peeler, remove the lime rind in thin strips. Then stack the strips together and cut them into fine julienne pieces. Add the strips to the melon.
3. Squeeze the lime over a small bowl and mix the juice (approximately 1/3 cup) with the sugar and rum, if using. Stir the mixture into the melon balls and set them aside for 1 to 2 hours.
4. At serving time, divide the melon balls among 6 dessert dishes, garnish with mint leaves or lime wedges and serve.

 

Grilled Peaches With Lemon Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 peaches
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 4 sprigs lemon thyme, coarsely chopped

Directions to Prepare the Grilled Peaches with Lemon Thyme

1. Rinse peaches, pat dry, cut in halves, and remove the stone. Place in a baking dish. Mix the oil, honey and vanilla extract and pour over the peaches.
2. Sprinkle with the lemon thyme. Marinate for 20 minutes turning over once and basting.
3. Grill on the barbeque for 2 or 3 minutes on each side or until the peach is tender, but not soft. Serve immediately, alone or with a scoop of ice cream.

According to Guiliano, "The mind is the French woman's ultimate firewall against getting fat and the senses are of course the portals of the mind." Enjoy the smells all around, savor the real delicacies of the universe and then taste only a few bites and be satisfied with the choices made on this day.
Some will ridicule the follower of such a plan, but then again the true revenge against such treatment is when the dieter looks in the mirror and is pleased with what is shown.

Photo courtesy of Photobucket/ misspearr

French Food Recipes by the Author of French Women Don't Get Fat

The best selling book "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano has many French food recipes in one location. Learn how to eat for pleasure.

Mireille Guiliano, author and CEO of Clicquot, Inc., has written many books about recasting the stomach and avoiding offenders in the diet. The books are full of French food recipes that are very delicious and nutritious. Guiliano tells of her own plight with food and how to eat with pleasure.

According to Guiliano, "French women choose their own indulgences and compensations. They understand that little things count, both additions and subtractions, and that as an adult everyone is the keeper of her own equilibrium." The recipes in this article appear with written by permission from Guiliano's Website.

 

French Omelet With Herbs and Ricotta Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons each: parsley, chives, chervil and coriander
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 teaspoon pimento
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 10 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons water
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 60 grams ricotta cheese or mascarpone

Directions:

1. Chop the herbs and place in a bowl along with the pimento, shallot and cayenne pepper.
2. Place the oil in a non-stick Teflon pan and heat. Add in the herb mixture and stir for one minute constantly. Set aside.
3. Place the eggs in a bowl with the water and using a whisk beat slightly. Add in the seasonings and the herb mixture.
4. Place the butter in a skillet and add in the egg and herb mixtures. Stir the egg mixture slightly until starts to set.
5. Add in the ricotta cheese and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Serve immediately.

 

Tomato Salad With Goat's Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 bag mixed leaf salad leaves
• 4 large tomatoes, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons of shallots, minced
• 1 teaspoon French mustard
• 2 Tablespoons vinegar (balsamic or champagne)
• 6 Tablespoons cold pressed olive oil
• 200 grams goat's cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons parsley or basil, chopped

Directions:

1. Place a layer of salad leaves on each plate and then follow with a layer of sliced tomatoes. Salt the tomatoes generously.
2. Place the minced shallot, mustard, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl and mix well.
3. Crumble the goat's cheese over the tomatoes and season generously.
4. Top with some of the dressing over the salad. Lastly, put the chopped parsley all around the salad.

 

French Women and Beverages

French women drink water all day long. To understand how water helps the skin, simply soak a dry sponge in water and see the effect it has. French women do not care for hard liquor, but they do like their wine and occasional champagne. French women never overfill their stomachs and French women do not diet. Plainly said by Guiliano, "French women do not get fat."

French Food Recipe Books by Mireille Guiliano

There are many recipes the cookbook and even more on her website. The cookbook is not just about recipes, but how to set limits in the diet and learning which foods are offenders and should be avoided. Guiliano also teaches how to start on a path of good health.

French food recipes in these books are both easy to make and with limited and healthy ingredients. Guiliano's philosophy is to enjoy the food and to take small bites of the foods that are craved. Even to enjoy chocolate, as all French women love chocolate. The author guides and teaches about simple ways to live and enjoy life to the fullest. Here is a list of her recent books:

• French Women Don't Get Fat
• Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire
• French Women for all Seasons
• French Women for all Seasons 2010 Engagement Calendar

Photo courtesy of Photobucket:  misspearr