New Fall/Winter classes at Love Apple Farms
by Pim under Bake, Cook, Note with 182 Comments
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Edible Holiday Gifts: Dec 3 (sold-out), Dec 2 (just added)
Learn how to make delightful salted butter caramels, perfect madeleines, luscious chocolate truffles with armagnac prunes, New Orleans pralines, French gingerbread pain d’épice, alfajores and other delectable, edible gifts that’ll make you the toast of the town come this holidays. We’ll also show you some great packaging ideas so your gifts are as delicious outside as they are inside!
Macaron Madness Workshop: Nov 5, Dec 10 (sold-out), Dec 9 (just added), Jan 14
We keep adding new dates for this incredibly popular workshop, and they keep filling up just as soon as we add them! If you’re ever interested in learning how to make proper, dainty, delicious French macarons, this workshop is for you. Go and sign up now. If you’re still thinking about it, take a look at the photo right above this paragraph. Pretty macarons, aren’t they? And you know what? I didn’t make any of them. The students in one of the previous workshops did! How cool is that? They did it, and so could you.
This is not a demonstration class, by the way. The only way to learn how to do macarons properly is work on it yourself. You’ll be getting your hands dirty and learning how to make perfect macarons just like they do in fancy French pâtisseries. You’ll also learn how to do three types of fillings: chocolate ganache, buttercream (with and without fruits), and caramel, Once you master the technique, you can go totally crazy with your own combinations. The limit is your own imagination. Plus, you’ll leave with the macarons you’ve made in class to share with [read: show off to] your friends and family afterwards.
Pâtés, Rillettes, and Terrines: Dec 17
Many home cooks think that pâtés, rilletes, and terrines are daunting recipes best left to the professional chefs. Je vous dit contraire, I beg to differ! They are so simple to do in the home kitchen, and the results are so spectacular you might never look at another store-bought pâté again. We’ll be making the robust French country pate (pâté de campagne), a classic rillette (which we’ll make with a local, sustainably-raised rabbit in class but you could do with a chicken if preferred), plus a beautiful vegetable terrine that’ll be a great accompaniment to any meal. We’ll also make a scrumptious foie gras terrine. (Yes, foie gras. And, no, sustainably raised foie gras is not cruel. If you’re wondering about it I’ll invite a discussion in class.)
If I were on a midnight infomercial I’d tell you this class will pay for itself after three pâtés de campagne!
Pad Thai and other Thai stir-fry favorites: Nov 12 (sold-out)
You’ve always loved Pad Thai but felt too intimidated to try them at home? Come take this class with me. We’ll not only make the best Pad Thai at home, but we’ll also cover other Thai stir-fry favorites like Pad See Ewe, Pad Kee Mao, Pad Kaprow, and more. At the end of class, you’ll get to make one (or more) of these noodle dish and eat the results. So come hungry! Oh, and go ahead and throw out your take-out menu right now. You won’t need them anymore, I promise.
Thai Curries: Nov 19 (sold-out), Nov 26
If you adore Thai curries, this class is for you. Learn the ins and outs of shopping for the essential ingredients and how to make curry paste from scratch. You’ll learn how to make authentic, delicious Thai curries with the very best ingredients, at the same time demystifying the spice cabinet. Learn how to tell good store-bought pastes from bad (for a rainy day) and the best sources in the area to find what you need to make a great pot of curry from scratch. We’ll also be talking about wine pairing with curries, which is a fascinating subject in itself. At the end of the class we will sit down and enjoy the fruits curries of our labor together.
Artisan Marmalades: Jan 28
In this workshop, I’ll teach you the fundamentals of marmalade making and my unique take on it. From start to finish, you’ll learn three different styles of marmalade: the classic, bitter, English-style made from sour oranges; a sweeter marmalade made from sweet citrus such as Mandarin or Clementine, and spice-infused marmalade. You’ll get three master recipes to work with and build your own repertoire of marmalade recipes. Plus, you’ll get to take home the marmalades we make in the class. This class is a repeat from the popular and much loved class from last marmalade season. Don’t miss it this time.
The Perfect Pie Crust (+other tarts without tops on), Feb 4
Few things are as intimidating to home bakers as pie crust can be. Take this workshop and we will together demystify the art and science of baking tender, flaky crusts. We’ll be playing with a basic pie crust, a sweet tart crust, a chocolate crust, a nut crust, and even a cheese crust. We will You will gain the confidence to experiment with different fillings and crusts, just in time for holiday baking! This is a hands-on workshop so bring your rolling pin and be ready to get down and dirty!
