Professional Pastry Program Level 2 / Baking Class May 26, 2011

This 8-week series is designed for the beginner or intermediate culinary student or baking enthusiast looking to improve on the basics of baking and pastry. These four-hour classes are taught in a professional environment and include textbook and chef coat. You will work independently and hands-on in a class with no more than 10 students.

Our classes are crafted to teach the basic chemistry of baking as well as techniques you’ll use both at home and in a professional kitchen. As with all our classes, everything you learn will be made from scratch, from the graham crust on your cheesecakes to the candied lemon zest on your lemon bars. We encourage you to bring a food-safe container to class to bring home your delicious work. Certificates of completion will be awarded at the end of the series.

Thursday, May 26: Pastry Doughs: We begin this series with the three basic pastry doughs: Pate Sucree (sweet pastry dough), Pate Brisee (flaky pie dough) and Pate Sable (butter-cookie dough). All three will be mastered and used as bases for Tarts, Pies and rich Cookies. Students will receive textbooks and chef coats.

Thursday, June 2: Curds and Mousses: Create beautiful trifles, fraisier, mousses and fill cakes with Passionfruit Mousse, Meyer Lemon Curd, Bavarian Cream, and Chocolate Mousse using different bases and natural stabilizers.

Thursday, June 9: Souffles: Souffles may be finicky, but they can be a great dish to make-ahead. We will make Savory Souffles, Sweet Souffles and Crème Anglaise.

Thursday, June 16: Pies and Tarts: Using techniques learned in week 1, create sweet French Fruit Tarts, Classic Blueberry Pie and Caramel Apple Pie. You will learn how to create decorative borders from pie crust and variations on the tart crust.

Thursday, June 23: Yeast Doughs: We will explore rich breads as we make a Basic Yeast Dough, Brioche, Cinnamon Rolls, Dinner Rolls and Braided Breads.

Thursday, June 30: Chocolate Cakes: Classic chocolate cakes should be rich yet light and made with the best chocolate available. You’ll swoon as we bake Flourless Souffle Cake, Sacher Torte and Chocolate Buttermilk Cake. We will top our cakes with a chocolate ‘mirror’ glaze and frost others with a whipped ganache frosting.

Thursday, July 7: Cake Decorating: You’ll work with your own cake to perfect your piping skills. We will cut, fill, stack and crumb-coat cakes and finish them with a coat of either buttercream or fondant. You’ll put the finishing touches on your cake with Royal Icing.

Thursday, July 14: Gourmet Cookies: Create an array of delicate cookies to impress the finest palate! We will bake and shape Tuile Cookies, make and sandwich Lacey Cookies and perfect the prettiest Petit Fours.
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The Professional Baking Series take place at our new, state-of-the-art cooking school at the Santa Monica Place Mall. There is plenty of parking on the third level directly behind the school. In order to qualify for a certificate of completion, all classes need to be attended.

Please arrive on time in comfortable attire and close-toed shoes. No cell phones in class, please.

Please note that we do not offer refunds but honor a 48-hour cancellation policy in order to reschedule your reservation.

The Professional Baking Series take place at:
The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories
The Market at Santa Monica Place
395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, CA 90401

For a complete schedule of cooking, baking and pastry classes in Los Angeles offered by The Gourmandise School, please visit:
http://www.TheGourmandiseSchool.com/classes

About Us
The Gourmandise School offers daytime, evening and weekend cooking classes in a hands-on setting with small class sizes. Our instructors teach classic techniques with locally sourced ingredients to make an adventurous chef out of anyone! Gourmandise offers Professional Cooking and Baking Series, individual classes and private rooms for special events.

The Gourmandise School was born in the early '80s when a little Parisian girl discovered the wonders of sweets. As she grew up, Pastry Chef Clemence Gossett, honed her pastry skills at her family's auberge in Provence. Hadley Hughes, a sweet native of Atlanta, joined the school in 2010. Her southern charm and gluten-free recipes round out a delicious menu of courses. The Gourmandise School offers cooking classes, private lessons, Professional Baking Series for Baking, Pastry, Chocolate and Confections and Corporate and Team-building Events.

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Official Website: http://www.thegourmandiseschool.com/class.php?id=347