French Pastries

Think about all the beautiful sweet treats you see in the windows of some of the best French pastry shops. Just the view will fill most people with taste memories of light airy croissants, decadently sweet desserts and all the other ethereal taste sensations that are never forgotten once experienced. Many of those other-worldly treats seem so delicate and perfect that it feels like they could not have been made by human hands - as if they magically appeared just to transport you to away to a sugary bliss. But of course those desserts were made by human hands - and they could even be made by your hands. In this class you will learn some of the tricks and techniques that the professionals employ to create delicious and beautiful pastries and you'll see for yourself that it's not magic. You'll use the same high quality, fair trade and sustainably produced ingredients that are used in the best pastry shops and you'll gain the knowledge you need to create some of them yourself. You may never lose the sense of wonder you get from looking at the intricate works of some the great pastry chefs but, after this class, you'll also be able to look at your own pastries and get that sense of wonder.
Recipes: Dark Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting; White Chocolate-Lavender Hot Cocoa with Bee Pollen; Molten Chocolate Cake with Cardamom Cream; Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups; Dark Chocolate Truffles; Dark Chocolate Cherry Cardamom & Orange Ginger
Class Type: Individual, hands-on cooking class
Class Notes: Experience a sense of wonder as we delve into the world of elegant French pastries.
Sunil Kumar
Sunil Kumar moved to New York to attend the French Culinary Institute and then spent some time working in the kitchen of a three star Manhattan restaurant. He moved on to become a content contributor and web developer at StarChefs.com, the online food magazine. When his web development career moved him away from the food world and into the publishing industry, Sunil used his free time to become involved in the local food movement. Today, Sunil sits on the board of Slow Food NYC, the local chapter of the national organization, and manages the event space at the Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center. He is also the founder and editor of OnGoingFeast.com, an online food and travel magazine. Contact Sunil