Ham and Gruyère Croissant Bites

Day-old croissants hold up better to filling and reheating. Gruyère melts beautifully but Swiss cheese works too. The honey drizzle adds a sweet-salty element that elevates the dish. Don't overfill or the croissants will be hard to eat.

The croissant's history begins with the Viennese kipferl, a crescent-shaped pastry documented in Austrian baking from at least the medieval period and possibly linked to the defeat of the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683. The French croissant — distinguished from its Austrian ancestor by the laminated butter technique that creates the characteristic flaky, airy layers — is generally traced to a Viennese bakery opened in Paris in 1838–1839 by Austrian entrepreneur August Zang. French bakers adopted and refined the technique, and the croissant became the defining French breakfast pastry by the 20th century. Ham and cheese as a croissant filling — the jambon-fromage — is a staple of French boulangeries and cafés, documented in Paris bakery menus from at least the early 20th century. The croque monsieur (documented in Parisian cafés from 1910) is the logical predecessor: a ham and Gruyère sandwich, toasted and sometimes béchamel-topped, that became one of the definitive French café preparations. Gruyère (or Emmental, depending on the preparation) is the standard cheese for this combination because its low moisture content and nutty, slightly fruity flavor survive heat without becoming oily. The bite-sized format simply scales the classic down for party service.