A Batch from Scratch

By Nancy Pardue
Photography By Jonathan Fredin Mar 11, 2014

Cooking classes offer make-and-take yum

Think of it as an adventure. OK, for some of us, it’s a downright challenge. But no matter how you look at it, learning to cook or bake something new is a delicious opportunity that abounds in local class offerings.

To prove the point, we took on an intimidating assignment at Cary’s Whisk kitchen shop, joining French pastry chef Emmanuelle Peron in creating a classic French tart.

The “ta-da” moment: Editor Nancy Pardue shows off her sweet success, a French raspberry tart created during a baking class
at Whisk.

The plan? Bake or bust.

From a start of “What were we thinking?” to the “Ta-da!” of a delectable raspberry-topped tart, we found pro tips to pique our curiosity and success to inspire you toward culinary courage too!

Step 1: The Cream

Our class of eight students dons aprons and readies for the recipe: A from-scratch raspberry tart.

“It’s not hard — you will see!” says Peron, a French pastry chef who moved to Cary in 2013, and plans to open Chouquette Pastry shop here.

Uh-oh 1: The ingredients are in grams!

“We weigh ingredients in Europe,” Peron says, demonstrating the simplicity of using a food scale, available at kitchen shops. “Baking is science; it’s very precise!”

Assistant Jenni Field, also a pastry chef, offers this reference point: 28 grams = approximately 1 ounce.

Uh-oh 2: What do you do with a vanilla bean?

Peron’s how-to: Cut off bean ends, slice the pod lengthwise, and scrape its interior for beans. She also notes her preference for Madagascar beans: “Expensive, but worth it for the flavor.”
Mmm, smell that vanilla infusing!

Pastry cream success! “Taste it, taste it!” Peron insists.

French pastry chef Emmanuelle Peron leads students in pastry cream making during class. “It’s not hard—you will see!” she says.

Step 2: The Pastry

Uh-oh 3: The recipe calls for soft butter!

American pie recipes call for cold butter, Peron explains, but this French sweet dough requires a soft touch. Her choice is unsalted Plugra brand butter, available at local grocers.

Uh-oh 4: No paddle-attachment mixer at home.

No worries, Peron says: Machine mixing has only become common in France in the past five years or so; most mixing is done by hand. Added benefit: Arm sculpting exercise!

Wait: Why’s the dough need to rest?

Dough that’s not been thoroughly chilled will stick to the rolling surface, she says.

Uh-oh 5: A pastry bag — too fancy!

Simply spoon the cream into the bag, snip off the tip of the bag with scissors, and begin at the center of the tart, Peron says. “Your left hand guides, your right hand pushes!”

Ta-da: “A classic of French tarts!” Peron says. “It’s easy, but just takes time. Spend a Sunday afternoon making tarts and impress your family!”