If the devil exists, he might be lurking in the detail of Lune’s ham and Gruyère croissant. Specifically, in the extra shavings of cheese sprinkled over the top that the oven turns into addictively caramelised nubs of salty goodness. Co-owner and chief baker Kate Reid’s entire oeuvre is about enslaving people into her cult of croissant-worship, and the queues outside are as long today as when Lune first moved to Fitzroy from Elwood five years ago. The anatomy of desire begins with the fundamentals of a perfect flaky croissant, made to Reid’s own three-day recipe with two types of butter – one from fellow Fitzroy travellers St David’s Dairy for the dough, the other a French Beurre d’Isigny for the laminating. The Gruyère is Swiss, from Calendar Cheese Company; the smoked ham from Andrew McConnell’s Meatsmith. “There’s also a sneaky little ingredient in there that a lot of people don’t pick up on,” says Reid. “It’s French seeded mustard to add a little pop of vinegar.” Eaten straight out of the oven, the innards molten and cheesy, it’s a compelling reason to get out of bed before sunrise. Boasting rights go with the territory.
By Larissa Dubecki
Lune Croissanterie, 119 Rose St, Fitzroy; 16/161 Collins St, Melbourne,lunecroissanterie.com, @lunecroissant.