Being flaky

Spicy chocolate bacon croissants

Celebrity chef Saransh Goila recently revealed a recipe for - and any French national reading this might want to look away now - a butter chicken croissant. In doing so, he gave a thoroughly desi twist to a bakery item that is traditionally had for breakfast in Europe, with a cup of coffee to wash it down with. It's not that they never jazz it up with options like a cheese or salmon filling. But butter chicken? You might spot the Loch Ness monster before you spot Goila's version of the croissant in a cafe in any European city.

Why restrict it to butter chicken, though? What about a croissant that has not just chocolate, which is common enough, but also bacon in it? We invited a former MasterChef contestant who made a name for herself, and a popular Mumbai-based home chef to give us their recipes for croissants that, like Goila's desi one, are hatke.

Spicy chocolate bacon croissants

Ingredients
>> 1/2 cup chocolate ganache
>> 5 strips of crisp bacon
>> 1/2 cup melted chocolate
>> 1 tsp chilli flakes
>> 2 tbsp cream
>> 4 puff pastry triangles

Method
Dip one crisp bacon strip in melted chocolate and keep aside. Melt chocolate with chilli flakes and cream, and prepare the spicy chocolate ganache. Spread a layer of the chocolate ganache on each puff pastry triangle, and place a bacon strip and roll it over the triangle. Give an egg wash and bake till the croissants are nicely brown and crisp. Take them out and keep aside, till they come to room temperature. Garnish with chocolate-coated bacon and serve.
Inderpreet Nagpal, Rummy's Kitchen and Herbs & Spices

Italian filled croissant

Ingredients
>> 4 croissants, sliced in half
>> 4 tbsp basil pesto
>> 2 burrata or mozzarella pearls
>> 1 tomato, sliced
>> A handful of rocket leaves and basil leaves

Method
Preheat the croissants and using a bread knife, cut them open. Spread an even amount of pesto on both sides and layer mozzarella, tomato, rocket and basil.
Sarah Todd, celebrity chef