Discovery Workshops – Pastry

Lemon Meringue Tartlets

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“Mastering the Lemon Meringue Tartlets” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About “Mastering the Lemon Meringue Tartlets”:
In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make the “Tartelettes au Citron” or Lemon Tartlets with Meringue. Lemon tart, in its simplest form a pastry shell with a lemon flavored filling, is one of the all-time favourite deserts in France.

No one really knows the origins of this desert. Lemon had a growing success, especially in the 17th / 18th centuries on the ships of the great expeditions, as it was a medicine to prevent from scurvy (a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, lemon was then the ideal remedy). It’s on these boats that lemon juice based deserts might have been made for the first time. The first version would be, according to historians, kind of a cheesecake with a biscuit base and a mix of eggs, sugar and lemon juice. There are some French lemon pies (from Menton and Toulouse French towns) that could be the ancestors of our present lemon tart.

About our discovery workshops:
Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Escoffier Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.

Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home. Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:
At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home.

View workshop

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“Mastering the Lemon Meringue Tartlets” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About “Mastering the Lemon Meringue Tartlets”:
In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make the “Tartelettes au Citron” or Lemon Tartlets with Meringue. Lemon tart, in its simplest form a pastry shell with a lemon flavored filling, is one of the all-time favourite deserts in France.

No one really knows the origins of this desert. Lemon had a growing success, especially in the 17th / 18th centuries on the ships of the great expeditions, as it was a medicine to prevent from scurvy (a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, lemon was then the ideal remedy). It’s on these boats that lemon juice based deserts might have been made for the first time. The first version would be, according to historians, kind of a cheesecake with a biscuit base and a mix of eggs, sugar and lemon juice. There are some French lemon pies (from Menton and Toulouse French towns) that could be the ancestors of our present lemon tart.

About our discovery workshops:
Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Escoffier Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.

Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home. Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:
At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home.

Eclairs & Religieuses

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“Eclairs & Religieuses” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About “Eclairs and Religieuses”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make Eclairs and Religieuses, two ultimate classics of French pastry. An éclair is an oblong pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with icing. Similarly, the Religieuse is made of two choux pastry cases, one larger than the other, filled with crème pâtissière, mostly commonly chocolate.

The word Éclair means ‘flash of lightning’ in French, and the pastry may be so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash), or maybe because it glistens when coated with confectioner’s glaze. The éclair originated during the 19th century in France where it was called “pain à la Duchesse” until 1850. Some food historians speculate that éclairs were first made by Antonin Carême (1784–1833), the famous French chef.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Escoffier Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home.

View workshop

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“Eclairs & Religieuses” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About “Eclairs and Religieuses”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make Eclairs and Religieuses, two ultimate classics of French pastry. An éclair is an oblong pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with icing. Similarly, the Religieuse is made of two choux pastry cases, one larger than the other, filled with crème pâtissière, mostly commonly chocolate.

The word Éclair means ‘flash of lightning’ in French, and the pastry may be so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash), or maybe because it glistens when coated with confectioner’s glaze. The éclair originated during the 19th century in France where it was called “pain à la Duchesse” until 1850. Some food historians speculate that éclairs were first made by Antonin Carême (1784–1833), the famous French chef.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Escoffier Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home.

Fraisier Cake

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“Fraisier Cake” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Fraisier cake”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make an impressive Fraisier cake. The name of this dessert is derived from the French word “fraise,” meaning strawberry. It is a classic French cake, traditionally comprised of a sponge cake, Génoise, cut in half, imbibed liberally with a simple syrup flavored with alcohol, filled with a crème patissière and topped with almond paste.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

View workshop

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“Fraisier Cake” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Fraisier cake”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make an impressive Fraisier cake. The name of this dessert is derived from the French word “fraise,” meaning strawberry. It is a classic French cake, traditionally comprised of a sponge cake, Génoise, cut in half, imbibed liberally with a simple syrup flavored with alcohol, filled with a crème patissière and topped with almond paste.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

The Secrets of Macarons

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops
“The Secrets of Macarons” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Secrets of Macarons”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make classic chocolate and raspberry macarons. A confection made up of two flat almond flour-based cookies, sandwiching an emulsified filling like ganache or jam. Any variation in colour or flavour is simply a variation of the filling and some food colouring. The macaron was made famous in France, and is thus often referred as a French or Parisian macaron.

A bit of history: the Macaron cookie was born in Italy, introduced by the chef of Queen Catherine de Medicis in 1533 at the time of her marriage to the Duc d’Orleans, who became King of France in 1547 as Henry II. The term “macaron” has the same origin as that the word “macarone” – both mean “fine dough”.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

View workshop

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“The Secrets of Macarons” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Secrets of Macarons”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make classic chocolate and raspberry macarons. A confection made up of two flat almond flour-based cookies, sandwiching an emulsified filling like ganache or jam. Any variation in colour or flavour is simply a variation of the filling and some food colouring. The macaron was made famous in France, and is thus often referred as a French or Parisian macaron.

A bit of history: the Macaron cookie was born in Italy, introduced by the chef of Queen Catherine de Medicis in 1533 at the time of her marriage to the Duc d’Orleans, who became King of France in 1547 as Henry II. The term “macaron” has the same origin as that the word “macarone” – both mean “fine dough”.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

Profiteroles

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“Profiteroles” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Profiteroles”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make classic Profiteroles. A profiterole is a French choux pastry ball, typically filled with vanilla ice cream, and decorated with chocolate sauce. Sometimes filled and glazed with caramel, they are assembled into a type of “pièce montée” called Croquembouches, often served at weddings in France and Italy.

Avice, a French pâtissier in the 18th century, created what were then called choux buns, so named because Avice’s buns resembled cabbages—“choux” in French. From there, Antoine Carême, the legendary pastry chef, made modifications to the recipe, resulting in the recipe most commonly used now for profiteroles.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

View workshop

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops

“Profiteroles” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Profiteroles”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make classic Profiteroles. A profiterole is a French choux pastry ball, typically filled with vanilla ice cream, and decorated with chocolate sauce. Sometimes filled and glazed with caramel, they are assembled into a type of “pièce montée” called Croquembouches, often served at weddings in France and Italy.

Avice, a French pâtissier in the 18th century, created what were then called choux buns, so named because Avice’s buns resembled cabbages—“choux” in French. From there, Antoine Carême, the legendary pastry chef, made modifications to the recipe, resulting in the recipe most commonly used now for profiteroles.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

Tarte Chocolat

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops
“The classic Tarte au Chocolat” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Tarte au Chocolat”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make an elegant Tarte au Chocolat. Tarte au chocolat (chocolate tart) is a crispy, buttery tart shell filled with a velvety-smooth dark chocolate ganache. It is a rich and intense chocolate dessert that is satisfying in even small portions.

Ganache is said to have been invented sometime in the 1850s when a chocolatier’s apprentice accidentally poured boiling cream over some chocolate. Furious, the master chocolatier chastised his apprentice, calling him “ganache,” in French. But as it turns out, the resulting silky smooth chocolate-cream mixture was delicious, and the apprentice’s unfortunate nickname stuck.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

View workshop

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops
“The classic Tarte au Chocolat” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Tarte au Chocolat”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make an elegant Tarte au Chocolat. Tarte au chocolat (chocolate tart) is a crispy, buttery tart shell filled with a velvety-smooth dark chocolate ganache. It is a rich and intense chocolate dessert that is satisfying in even small portions.

Ganache is said to have been invented sometime in the 1850s when a chocolatier’s apprentice accidentally poured boiling cream over some chocolate. Furious, the master chocolatier chastised his apprentice, calling him “ganache,” in French. But as it turns out, the resulting silky smooth chocolate-cream mixture was delicious, and the apprentice’s unfortunate nickname stuck.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

Tarte Tatin

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops
“Tarte Tatin” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Tarte Tatin”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make the iconic Tarte Tatin, an upside down tart with caramelized apples. The tarte Tatin was created accidentally at the Hotel Tatin, run by two sisters in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, in the 1880s. As the story goes, Stéphanie Tatin started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Smelling the burning, she tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples, quickly finishing the cooking by putting the whole pan in the oven. After turning out the upside down tart, she was surprised to find how much the hotel guests appreciated the dessert. Several decades later, the famous French food writer Curnonsky and the Parisian restaurant Maxim’s would visit the restaurant, and contribute to giving the dish a wide recognition.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!

View workshop

French Pastry Classics: discovery workshops
“Tarte Tatin” discovery workshop

Duration: 3 hours
Level: Beginners

About the “Tarte Tatin”:

In this lively hands-on class, you will learn to make the iconic Tarte Tatin, an upside down tart with caramelized apples. The tarte Tatin was created accidentally at the Hotel Tatin, run by two sisters in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, in the 1880s. As the story goes, Stéphanie Tatin started to make a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Smelling the burning, she tried to rescue the dish by putting the pastry base on top of the pan of apples, quickly finishing the cooking by putting the whole pan in the oven. After turning out the upside down tart, she was surprised to find how much the hotel guests appreciated the dessert. Several decades later, the famous French food writer Curnonsky and the Parisian restaurant Maxim’s would visit the restaurant, and contribute to giving the dish a wide recognition.

About our discovery workshops:

Our discovery workshops are open to all. They are ideal for those who want an easy initiation into French pastry or culinary arts, as well as those who want to make the most of the presence of an experienced Chef to refresh and refine their techniques.


Throughout the workshop, in our pristine professional kitchens, the Chef will walk you through the different stages of the recipe. All the participants are given the opportunity to repeat each step until they are mastered, with plenty of one-on-one guidance from the Chef. He will share his personal experience and tips on how to successfully complete the dessert, and make it again at home.
Observe, try your hand at creating the recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Pro Tip:

At the end of the session, the participant will be able to take what they have made away with them to share with family and friends. Bring containers to take your creations home!