The Mock Exam May 23, 2022 I don’t know how this happened, but somehow it’s late May in Paris, and I’m closing in on the end of my pastry diploma program at Le Cordon Bleu. How it started (chipper and ready to bake) How it’s going (using my last brain cell to issue the most…
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Dispatch from Superior Pastry (Apr. 28) Hurry. That’s the word that best evokes my first few weeks of Superior Pastry at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. After two terms of French pastry making, my classmates and I have finally made it to the last, highest level of the pastry diploma. Just a little over two more…
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A Week in Buzet Wine Country (Apr. 3) I am not a wine snob. In fact, I’m a wine idiot. But that didn’t appear to be stopping me, I thought, as vineyards and castles in shades of early-spring brown whizzed past my train en route to the Gascony vineyard where I’d be volunteering for the…
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10 Can’t-Miss Pastries at Paris Bakeries You just arrived in Paris, a little jet-lagged and bleary-eyed. But it’s 10am somewhere (here, as it turns out), and you know exactly what you want to do first: Go to a bakery! The smell of butter and chocolate pulls you in as you approach the first boulangerie you…
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The End of Intermediate Pastry (And the Key Lime Story) I can’t believe it, but somehow I just finished Intermediate Pastry at Le Cordon Bleu Paris! I’m about to be a Superior student, one of those white-clad people roaming the institute cradling 2-foot-tall sugar sculptures and 3D chocolate masterpieces they’ve just made in class. (Me?…
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How to Navigate Paris Bakeries Like a Pro If you’re visiting Paris for the first time in a while (or ever), the simplest of shopping can be intimidating. Small spaces, curt salespeople, and a different language? It’s enough to keep me – and maybe you – curled up on your Airbnb bed sometimes. But venture out…
Read MoreKey Lime Pie: WWFD (What Would the French Do)? (Jan. 30) I really thought I’d be spending my January developing vegan and sustainable baking recipes, but that’s on hold for the moment. Because all I have time to make right now is tarts!! Our Intermediate Pastry final exam is in March, for which we’ll be…
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This predecessor to nougat de Montélimar is also a more climate-friendly alternative. It’s vegan!
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