dessert for breakfast

THAT, my friends, is a croissant aux amandes.

A thing of beauty, although this particular example is a little on the smooshed side. It came along for a ride on the metro with me this morning, so it really couldn't be helped.

A croissant aux amandes, in case you were wondering, is an ordinary croissant piped full of of almond cream, then baked and sprinkled with powdered sugar. And almonds, depending on where you buy them. I happen to buy mine from Eric Kayser and they do not have slivered almonds on top, but that's just as well in my opinion. Since a croissant aux amandes begins life as an already butter-filled pastry that is then filled with custard and covered in sugar, I don't really need the extra almonds.

I'm sure they're quite terrible for you and ruinously fattening and all that but, my, are they delicious. And sometimes- like after a long week of work, when the weather is terrible and you really just wanted to stay in bed all day - having dessert for breakfast can brighten the morning considerably.

Eric Kayser*
16 rue des Petits-Carreaux
Paris 75002

*Eric Kayser is a chain and there are about 10 in Paris, but this is the one I go to because it's closest to my apartment.