This hands-on, skills-based series covers the basic baking techniques you'll need to feel comfortable being called upon to "bring a dessert" to your next gathering. Or at the very least, understand a whole lot more of what is happening on the Great British Bake Off.
This program meets every week for 4 weeks.
WEEK 1: Cakes 101
SKILLS COVERED: Building Batters, Butter vs. Oil Cakes, Sponge Cakes, Making Buttercream, Assembling a Double Layer Cake, Basic Piping, Caramelizing Sugar
RECIPES INCLUDE: Yellow Butter Cake (i.e. Birthday Cake) with Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Caramelized Fruit Upside Down Cake
WEEK 2: Chocolate + Confections
SKILLS COVERED: Choosing the Best Chocolate, How to Read a Chocolate Bar, Melting Chocolate, Making Ganache, What Causes "Seizing," Pastry Cream, Pate a Choux Dough
RECIPES INCLUDE: Chocolate Genoise Swiss Roll, Dark Chocolate Truffles, Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream
WEEK 3: Pies + Tarts
SKILLS COVERED: Working with Pate Brisée (pie dough), Pressed Nut Doughs (tart doughs), Crimping Techniques, Blind Baking, Making Lemon Curd, Working with Puff Pastry
RECIPES INCLUDE: Seasonal Fruit Galettes, Lemon Curd Tart, Apple Tarte Tatin
WEEK 4: Breads
SKILLS COVERED: Working with Yeasted Doughs, Working with Whole Grain Flours, Rising and Proofing Dough
RECIPES INCLUDE: Focaccia, Whole Wheat Pita Bread, Make-Your-Own Pizza, and Chopped Salad (for carb mitigation)
School Notes: For NYC In-Person Classes:
You’ll receive a complete recipe packet and enjoy a full sit-down meal at the end of class with your classmates. Our classes are BYOB, and you are welcome to bring a bottle to enjoy at the sit-down meal (not including our baking or dessert classes).
Our classes are hands-on, coupled with demonstration-style teaching. Everyone is situated at their own cutting board/chef’s knife station around a large wooden work table that accommodates the whole class (10 people max). We work together as a group, with the chef at the head of the table.
We focus on knife skills, preparing ingredients for cooking, and we strive to find every opportunity to offer you a hands-on experience at the stove and at your station, all within the spatial parameters of a single stove/family-style kitchen. We ask for volunteers to assist in all cooking.
