By Heidi Vukov and Sara Sobota (Gibbs Smith, $30)
You don't have to know Heidi Vukov's Croissants Bistro & Bakery in Myrtle Beach, S.C., to appreciate her cookbook. But once you've perused it, you may find yourself wanting to visit the spot where the chef has made her mark over the past 21 years by blending her background in European pastry with the coastal cooking of the region.
Or if you don’t feel like driving to Myrtle Beach, you can stay home and try some of the recipes that make Croissants a fine-dining destination in that tourist-y town.
A pastry chef at heart, Vukov was influenced by both her grandmothers: the one in Germany (with whom she visited often) and the one in her native Pennsylvania (with whom she baked pies). After moving from Pennsylvania to South Carolina in 1992, she followed her dream of opening a bakery and café.
The bread program has always been big at Croissants, so here you will find instructions for Vukov’s French, challah and rye breads, among others. (Alas, there’s no recipe for croissants.)
With loaves in hand, you may then construct her Monte Cristos, Croque Monsieurs and signature pimento cheese and artichoke sandwiches (on rye). Or how about Bananas Foster French Toast? (It’s made with challah).
Over time, Vukov hired a chef, and lunch-friendly Croissants became a white-tablecloth dinner bistro. Thus we have recipes for delectable-looking entrées like shrimp and grits with fried green tomatoes, scallops with Benton’s bacon and peach pork tenderloin.
Since I love baking, I’ve made a note to try Vukov’s gruyere puffs, and her Pennsylvania grandma’s molasses cookies will be a smart way to use up some of the sludge-y syrup that’s been pushed to the back of my pantry.
Finally, I’ve been on a quest for a perfect coconut layer cake, so next up is Vukov’s four-tier show-stopper slathered with a custardy filling of the sort you might find in a classic cream pie.
Oui, oui, y'all!
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