If you’ve clicked on this post then you probably already know what this is going to be about: I WENT TO AN ERIC LANLARD BAKING MASTERCLASS AT TAVOLA STUDIO DUBAI! Can you tell I’m still excited about that? Yeah.
This was my first time attending, but I hear that lots of really cool classes take place at the Tavola Studios on the regular, for anyone seeking cooking/backing knowledge and expertise ranging from beginner to intermediate levels.
I won’t give away the recipes we acquired in this class; you can find those in Eric Lanlard’s Afternoon Tea book. I’m going to do you one better: in this post I’ll reveal the various secrets, tips and tricks of the trade that Eric Landard shared with us! Suffice to say, it was a very interactive and very fun class, and we all had fully equipped workstations with pre-apportioned ingredients to recreate first hand what Eric Lanlard was teaching us.
Eric Lanlard hosted two sessions that day. I attention Session 1, in which we learnt how to make Pistachio Paris Brest and a Savory Pumpkin and Chicken Crackling Macaron. Session 2 involved a white chocolate matcha cake, and then some, BUT I snoozed and it was fully booked!
Here are some of the fun facts about Eric Lanlard :
- Eric is not about the dramatic and unachievable recipes. He creates recipes that won’t intimidate the homemaker.
- He wants his cookbooks to be practically used and not be coffee table decoration pieces.
- Travel is his biggest inspiration and he is always keen to try the most authentic places in the back alleys. The Pistachio Paris Brest is a twist on a classic, to celebrate one of the Middle East’s favorite flavors.
- The Paris Brest was invented in 1810 by by a French Patisserie, to celebrate the cycling race that took place between Paris and Brest. The classic Paris Brest has flaked almonds on top and hazelnut paste instead of pistachio paste in the creme mousseline.
- Eric Lanlard is allergic to flour and took an antihistamine every single day for the 6 months in baking school that he had to make pastries all day, every single day. Those 6 months made him what he is today.
- Creme mousseline is a cross between custard and buttercream, and while it tastes lighter, it’s actually just as heavy!
Invaluable Baking Tips Shared by Eric Landard:
- Baking is a science that involves actual chemical reactions. More often than not, you can’t play by the ear when it comes to baking. You need to follow the instructions to the dot.
- Macarons are actually quite famous in France as a savory treat too, and not just sweet.
- Have realistic ambitions. Don’t start with highly technical baking if you’ve never baked before. Work your way up from the basics.
- When you find the perfect recipe, stick to it. Don’t try to fix what isn’t broken.
- The Choux Pastry is what they call “double bake”, because you cook the dough once on the stove and then once baked in the oven
- It’s important to use ming and sugar in the choux pastry to ensure that it has a nice golden color and doesn’t look anemic.
- Never use a non-stick pan when making roux or choux pastry
- When making frosting, it’s important to use good butter with a very low water content, and cream cheese which is as dry and firm as possible. In France, the quality of butter is legally regulated!
- Never serve Cream Mousseline straight from the fridge as it will be very hard because of all the butter
Other priceless tips:
Choux pastry is the only pastry in which you need to use your a little but of your own judgement and not just stick to the recipe because various environmental factors (such as humidity, temperature or even the size of your eggs) can lead to varying levels of consistency and viscosity of the choux. Similar to when you’re making roux, you want this to be as dry as possible, while still forming a smooth ball that doesn’t stick to the pan.
You know the consistency of the choux pastry is right when it falls of the paddle like such, resembling what the French bakers like to call ” a bird’s beak”
This is the correct way to hold a piping bag.
You can freeze these before baking them, if you’d like to make them ahead of time.
The internal temperature might be a little different from what the gauge reads? It is therefore advised to always own an oven thermometer.
Your oven should be set on traditional setting when baking choux pastry. The convention fan will blow them out of shape.
If you’d like to book a class at Tavola Studio, you can click on here. I do not get any royalties out of this and this isn’t an affiliate link, I’m just sharing with you all what I think is a great opportunity for aspiring bakers!
