By Diana Cercone
If you’ve never tasted a true croissant, you either have never been to France or to Mamie Colette bakery in Newtown. Either way that’s easily corrected. No passport needed nor transatlantic flight. Just set your GPS and head to Mamie Colette’s artisanal French bakery at 202 S. State Street for the rich, flaky pastry that has been celebrated the world-over for more than 200 years and, perhaps, has become more iconic of France than the Eiffel Tower.
But, you say, croissants can be found at most food stores and bakeries—even convenience stores. So why Mamie Colette? Simple: Not all croissants are equal. Nor are they traditionally made. I learned this the hard way. For more years that I care to admit, I was under the impression that I had been eating French croissants. Though I have been to France, it was their baguettes that I remember most. But it wasn’t until I tasted one of Mamie Colette croissants recently that I understood the difference. And understood why years ago one of my friends had pushed aside the croissant I had served her for breakfast, claiming with disdain that it was not a true French croissant as she disappointedly reached for a bowl of plain yogurt and fruit instead.
Her dismissal of the croissant that day stuck in my mind like a paper cut. And, then, one morning at the Wrightstown Farmer’s Market I overheard a conversation about croissants that a new bakery in Newtown was making. “I’m telling you, you’ll think you’re in France,” said the shopper. “And the baker and owner is a French woman.”
I leaned in closer, and not containing myself, begged him to tell me the name. He not only did, but proceeded to rhapsodize about the different croissants he and his friends had enjoyed.
My curiosity and palate were peaked. So on a bright, sunny day last spring I set my navigator for Mamie Colette and parked on South State Street.
I eagerly strode down a couple of blocks past Washington Ave. But no Mamie Colette. Panicking, I ducked into a tony shop, asking if they knew where it was. The sales clerk, laughing, said they were very familiar with her croissants and walked me outside, gesturing to the small sign proclaiming Mamie Colette with an arrow pointing down Penn Street.
I scurried down, only to find a large parking lot. There on my left was Mamie Colette. Outside were several, inviting patio tables and chairs. As I passed one, two women were sitting, sipping coffee, an empty, crumpled pastry bag on the table, and conversing in French. I took this as a good omen.
Walking in confirmed it. Perfuming the air were the sweet smells of freshly baked croissants and pastries which were displayed in the large case under the front counter. Behind it held an array of freshly baked breads, including crusty baguettes. On the wall, a chalkboard proclaims “Life without croissants is no life at all.” (Very wise words as I soon found out.) Through the large picture window on my left, I could see Chef Magali Henry making croissants in her open kitchen. Her strong hands expertly folding the delicate croissant dough.
As arranged, Isabelle Noblanc, Chef Magali’s business partner, greeted me and led me to two comfortable chairs with tray-shaped arm rests at the opposite side of the shop. (Dubbed a Grab-n-Go bakery, with take-out only, these, as well as the patio tables are the only sit-down options—typical of French boulangeries where the croissants and pastries are meant to be enjoyed on a park bench or spot of your choosing.) A native of France herself, Isabelle is from Brittany, not far from where Chef Magali grew up in Chartres, about 50 miles southwest of Paris. But it wasn’t until their adult years that they met.
Isabelle first came to the U.S. as a student in 1988 which led to working for American companies, eventually as CEO of a few. But it was as an American expat in Chartres for one that she met her wife. Eventually the two settled in the U.S. In 2020, they opened Mamie Colette in Newtown. The bakery is named to honor Chef Magali’s grandmother, Mamie Colette, who emigrated to Chartres from the Caribbean island of Guadelsoupe with her six children, working long hours to provide them with a good home.
Joining us, Chef Magali explains that from her grandmother she not only learned baking. “She taught me the value and ethics of work and the value and love of family and friends.” And though she baked with her, it wasn’t until much later, after she had gone to culinary school to learn the art of viennoiserie, the French word for baked goods such as croissants, brioches and Danishes, did she start making croissants.
All through culinary school, she says, she hated making them. But while working in a Netherlands restaurant, she was put in charge of making croissants. Like finding the key to a treasure box, Chef Magali found her passion. Making croissants, she says, is a combination of passion, science and art.
“Croissant dough is the most difficult,” she says. “Every step is sensitive to temperature and humidity.” If for example her hands become too warm from working with the dough, she must stop. Put the dough in the refrigerator to rest and cool her hands in cold water before beginning again. It is 2:30 in the afternoon. Chef Magali started her day in the kitchen twelve hours earlier. She will finish when the last of the day’s croissants emerge from the oven in time for their customers before closing. And begin again at 2:30 the next morning.
It takes two days and 24 folds of the dough to make one of her croissants. It is a culinary dance of flour, unsalted European butter, sugar, yeast and milk that she has perfected. Each fold and turn of the dough is layered in butter, which begins as a 12 by 12 by 1-inch sheet. Through the process called laminating, the butter is folded into the dough multiple times to create thin, alternating layers of fat and dough, producing a multi-layered, flaky texture. Each new fold and roll of the dough builds another layer until when Chef Magali finishes, the dough is crescent-shaped and about five inches long. A short rest along with applying an egg wash before popping them in the 375 °F oven for 15 minutes yields deep caramel-colored, flaky croissants about seven inches long.
Look closely and you can count the folds. Then eat as the French do, tearing off small pieces of the croissant with your hands rather than biting into it. No need to add butter or preserves but not unFrench to do so or to dunk a chunk in coffee. Again in keeping with a traditional French boulangerie, Chef Magali also offers ham and cheese croissants for breakfast and lunch.
On any given day, there are about 15 different croissants offered such as those filled with Nutella, fruit jam, spinach, almond and ham and cheese. Other pastries include cheese Danish, Palmiers, creative brioches, abricotine and about 13 different breads, both traditional and Isabelle-inspired. All are made using only natural ingredients with no preservatives or chemicals added. The flour is non-GMO, never bleached or bromated. As with Chef Magali’s croissants, the baguettes are traditionally made, crusty on the outside with nooks and crannies in the soft dough on the inside. Perfect to smear on dabs of sweet butter, drizzle with olive oil or slice in half and envelop with your favorite sandwich filling.
Isabelle says they never sell day-old croissants, pastries or breads. That is not the French way. Should any of them be left, she says, they are donated to the local Code Blue, food pantry or given to neighbors.
The rich, buttery taste and multi-texture of her croissants are achieved, Chef Magali says, through her love and passion for making them. Without them, she says, you can taste it. They are not right.
Part of that passion, Isabelle explains, comes from the goal of making their customers happy. “The point is not to make money. Although you want to make enough for a comfortable living. Our mission is to create happiness for our customers and our employees … and where we have conversations with our customers. We get to know them. They get to know us.”
Case in point: Shortly after they had opened, a woman wanted to place a large preorder. Isabelle politely told her that not only didn’t they have room for preorders, but also, in doing so, there would not be enough of a selection for customers coming in. The woman argued, saying what did they care as long as they sell and make money. Isabelle tried again to explain. But the woman couldn’t see the merit in their business mission.
However other customers who also wanted to place large orders did. And are still regular customers, content with the limit of six for the number of baked goods they can purchase. Knowing each one will be fresh and flavorful, making their day a bit brighter. They also like the welcoming, cozy setting and the feel of being recognized as regulars and part of the Mamie Colette community. Like the two women I saw on my way in, Isabelle says, customers feel comfortable to come in and practice speaking French with them or just to check on each other’s news.
Chef Magali and Isabelle also listen. In response to their customers wanting a larger selection of breads, Breton specialties such as crepes and other baked goods, as well as longer bakery hours, they opened L’Annexe de Mamie Colette at 1462 River Road in Titusville, NJ (lannexedemamiecolette.com).
I did apologize to my friend and thanked her for setting me straight about croissants. Because there is, indeed, a difference. You taste it at Mamie Colette. Vive la différence! Vive Mamie Colette!
Mamie Colette is located at 202 South State St., Newtown, PA. For more information, visit www.mamiecolettebakery.com.
Diana Cercone is an area freelance writer who specializes in food, art and travel.