The Art and Soul of Baking Class at Sur La Table

I have always wanted to take a baking or cooking class at Sur La Table, but never went because you had to pay a for the class. Its not a lot, but not little either, and I thought, I know how to cook or bake, so If I followed a recipe, I can do it. Recently my friend and I looked at the "Art and Soul of Baking " series and decided to try it - We thought that because of the hands on experience it might be worth it. So after taking the class, I think it was totally worth the money and time.

1) The tips and tricks might not be something you can find out on your own.

2) The ingredients they used were outstanding. You also learn about the different ingredients from the instructor.

3)  The recipes are very good.  Sometimes you look for a recipe, and you're not sure if it was a good one until you try it out.  After the class, you will know for sure how it turned out.

We spent 3 hours preparing the following:

Classic French Fruit Tart

I often make mini fruit tarts, and I tend to messup easily on the pastry cream. I finally found the trick!

Warm blueberry crumble tart

This was supposed to be a cranberry tart but cranberries are not in season right now.

Potato, Onion, and Gruyere Galette

Believe it or not , this is one of my favorites from the class! The gruyere and caramelized onions, with the buttery crust tasted like heaven!

Fromage Blanc, Tomato, and Herb Tart

Fromage Blanc is a soft, spreadable goat cheese with texture similar to ricotta cheese. Because it was a mild flavored cheese, it made the tart a very light appetizer.

Lemon Merengue Plyllo Cups

Being a lemon lover, this is my favorite of the class. The lemon was tart the way I liked it, and the sweet merengue combination was perfectly matched with the light crispyness of the phyllo.

Here is what you can expect in the class:

1) All ingredients were nicely organized, and prepared (except onions and potatoes, you had to cut them)

2) One or two people working on one recipe at a time ( We werent able to get hands on experience on all the recepes)

3) The instructor will explain the whole process and you get to watch and ask questions

4) You get to eat and enjoy everything everyone made at the end of the class! ( Of course this was my favorite part!)

Here is a picture of us working on the phyllo. As you can see, there is a plenty of room to work with and practice!



I will try to post some of the recipes later when I get a chance.