carré confiture

April 21, 2015 in all-year, fruit, pies & tarts

I know we've already passed Easter, but do me a favor and think back to New Year's Eve for a second.

Did you drink champagne? Eat good food? Dance? Did you spend it with family? Friends? Both?

That last part is always a bit tricky. You can't be everywhere at once, right? This is why, almost ten years ago, my college friends and I started the tradition of a "Second New Year's." We find a date that suits everybody and get together for an ersatz new year's eve celebration. We dress up, we drink champagne, we exchange gifts and we count down. The whole shebang.

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yeasted puff pastry

April 02, 2015 in baking class, all-year, basics

Going to baking class is a little bit like going to the theater. There's this incredible dynamic between the teachers at the campus and all of them have mastered the art of banter. I don't know how to explain it, but it can be quite hilarious.

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mini nut tartlets

March 27, 2015 in baking class, all-year, nuts, pies & tarts

Our teacher Danny likes things small. In earlier classes, he's already tried to convince us that a cookie should be small enough to eat in two simple bites. This week, we made tartlets that seem to go by more or less the same standard. Luckily, though, Danny also likes things in large quantities. Ten different kinds of tartlets, twelve of each. A true tartlet extravaganza.

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butter coronets w/ almond caramel filling

March 16, 2015 in all-year, cookies & small bites, nuts

Lately, I've been spamming my family with photographs of all the sweet things I bake. I've sent them pictures of braided bread, of croissants, of cookies and of apple turnovers, but they haven't yet had the chance to try any of it. Time to make them some surprise treats!

crème patissière + crème surprise

March 13, 2015 in baking class, all-year, basics

Some people just can't get enough of crème patissière. Thomas is one of them and I've seen some of my friends eat it by the spoonful. Me? Not so much. I can really enjoy one or two spoons, but I quickly turn from "mmm, this is delicious" to "pff, I've had enough." This is why I don't get excited about éclairs the way other people do. Petits choux, yes; éclairs, no. It's a difficult balance.

choux pastry

March 10, 2015 in baking class, all-year, basics

It's simple. If it's your birthday, you get to choose the dessert. Go ahead, you can choose whatever you want.

In my house, choosing whatever you want has mostly come down to choosing one of my mom's three signature desserts. Not that there aren't any more options...these are just the most popular ones [...]