How To Make Croissants Like Meryl Streep

While we might not be up for making homemade croissants every weekend (they require many turns of the rolling pin and a delicate, yet sturdy hand), when we do decide to brave this baking adventure, we want to do it with the confidence and class that Meryl Streep does in the movie "It's Complicated."

In the film, Streep's character brings her date, played by Steve Martin, to her cafe/bakery for a late evening snack. She offers to make him anything on the menu, "anything at all." And to many home bakers' dismay, Martin asks for what is possibly one of the trickest (yet most rewarding) items on the menu, a chocolate croissant.

Without skipping a beat, Streep gets to work and produces some really good looking croissants. There's much to learn from her technique -- even if you don't have access to one of those fancy rolling machines (because you can, after all, buy frozen puff pastry). And while you might want to skip the part where Streep uses the dough to mimic a bra, you'll definitely want a dozen and a half like she does.