Pastry School and Pastry Training Centre of Vancouver, BC – Pastry and Bakery Courses

Seasonal Pastry Courses

The Seasonal Pastry Courses are specialty classes that are not a part of a series or related to each other. These classes take place throughout the year, and they are fun and informative. Chef Marco changes the themes regularly so check back often to follow his whimsy. The courses range from the all-time favourite, French Macarons, to more seasonal ones such as Summer Preserves, Summer Berries, Ice Cream, Christmas Baking, and Easter Chocolate Eggs. All classes are hands-on and everything learned can easily be re-created at home. Some classes are 4 hours long and others require 2 days back to back of 4 hours each. Most classes do not require prior experience.

Each class has a maximum of 12 students and you will work with a partner for the 2 days. The work stations are equipped with generous counter space, cook tops, and stand mixers. Everything has been provided to maximize your learning time. All ingredients, recipes, and snacks are included in the prices, as well as the use of kitchen tools and aprons. Please come dressed accordingly for kitchen work (casual dress and solid, closed toe shoes). You will have recipes to keep and you will need a box to bring your creations home. Please refer to the Policies for more detail.

• The Art of French Macarons – (monthly)
• German Cakes, Desserts & Pastries – (throughout the year)
• Famous Austrian Strudels & Cakes – (throughout the year)
• Tiramisu & classical cakes of Europe’s pastry kitchens – (throughout the year)
• Chocolate Easter Egg Course – (early April only)
• Baking and creating desserts with local summer Berries & Fruits – seven courses to choose from: raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, apricot & peach course (July & August only)
• Summer Preserves, Jams, Marmalades & Jellies – (July & August)
• Autumn Baking & Preserves – (October / November)
• Authentic European Christmas Baking – (November / December)
• Asian Bread Baking Course – NEW – dates to be confirmed
• Candy making course – NEW – dates to be confirmed

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The Art of French Macarons

Price: 115$ (plus 5% tax) / 3.5 – 4 hour course

once a month, fridays alternating between morning and evening course, please check our calendar for the next scheduled macaron course

Course outline:

The thought of making French Macarons could strike fear in many hearts. So much has been said about the failures but in this class, you will be led to success the first time you make them. These very special and tricky little morsels have 2 main components, the pastry and the fillings, and making them successfully requires learning proper techniques. You will work on various flavours, colors, and fillings and you’ll realize that the variety is endless.

This course is a combination of both hands-on experience and demonstrations. It is a great introduction to our Pastry Training Centre and to the European Pastry series. No prior pastry or baking experience is required but it would come in handy. The course is 4 hours long and each student will leave with a selection of macarons. Bring cake boxes to carry your creations home

We will be working on the following macarons, however, depending on the seasonal items, the course outline could change slightly.

• Vanilla Macaron with Salted Caramel Filling
• Pistachio Macaron with Pistachio Butter Creme Filling
• Chocolate Macaron with Chocolate Ganache
• Strawberry Macaron with Strawberry Chocolate Ganache
• Coffee Macaron with Coffee Butter Creme Filling
• Lemon Macaron with Lemon Custard Filling
• Italian Amaretti Macaron

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 German Cakes, Desserts & Pastries

Price: $195.00 (plus 5% tax) / 8 h course – either two mornings or two evenings, please refer to our calendar page for dates and times

Four o’clock in Germany. Why is that important? Because it’s a customary time to enjoy coffee with a generous selection of pastries. Germany has a strong emphasis on tradition and it’s particularly obvious with their food. The ancestral recipes are handed down through the generations, and the food is lovingly prepared and shared with family and friends. In this course, Chef Marco will take you back to his roots and teach you some famous, and not so famous, authentic German pastries. There are no short-cuts in this course – everything is made from scratch and you will be surprised to find that although the ingredients are quite common, the end result is not. Enjoy this rare opportunity to learn about German pastries.

This is a back-to-back course and the second part of this course will continue the next day at the same time. This is also a hands-on course and your pastries can be either consumed in class or taken home for your enjoyment. Bring cake boxes on both days to carry your creations home.

We will be working on the following desserts, however, depending on the seasonal items, the course outline could change slightly.

• Blackforest Cake (made with chocolate almond sponge, dark chocolate mousse, cherry compote, kirsch creme and chocolate shavings)
• Germanys famous beesting cake (Bienenstich) – which is a light sweet yeasted dough, filled with vanilla creme and caramelized almond topping
• Zitronen Roulade (lemon roulade) – a light and airy sponge, rolled up with fresh strawberries and lemon creme)
• Apfel im Schlafrock – translates into apples in pyjamas… marzipan stuffed apples, wrapped up in puff pastry and baked until tender and flaky.

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Famous Austrian Strudels and Cakes

Price: $195.00 (plus 5% tax) / 8 h course – either two mornings or two evenings, please refer to our calendar page for dates and times

• Vienna Sacher Cake (rich chocolate cake filled with apricot jam)
• Austrian apple strudel (dough and filling be made in class)
• Yeasted strudel filled with a poppyseed filling
• Vanilla sauce & rum truffle sauce
• Poppyseed cake filled with fresh made peach and apricot jam
• Esterhazy Torte
• Fondant & chocolate glaze for decoration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tiramisu & Classical Cakes of Europes Pastry Kitchen

Price: $195.00 (plus 5% tax) / 8 h course – either two mornings or two evenings, please refer to our calendar page for dates and times

• Ventian tiramisu with hand-made sponge fingers
• Gateaux St. Honore (classical french cake made with a pate brisee shortcrust, vanilla chiboust creme, choux paste profiteroles and caramel)
• Austrian Cardinal Slice (famous Austrian dessert made with a very interesting meringue sponge and filled with a coffee creme)
• Charlotte aux Poire (another famous French Cake, made with a light sponge, home made poached pears and a pear mousse)

 

 

 

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Chocolate Easter Egg Course

Price: $225.00 (plus 5% tax) / once a year special, usually a week or two prior easter weekend

* having attended the chocolate training course 1 is mandatory for registering for this – once a year – special course. A solid understanding of the pre-crystallisation (aka tempering) is essential for this course.

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Baking and creating desserts with local summer berries and fruits

Price: $95.00 (plus 5% tax) for each course or join for all 7 courses and receive a 5% discount

every year July & August only / 4 hour short, intensive & informative courses

Strawberry course

• Strawberry ‘Fraisier’ cake, filled with pistachio chiffon sponge, strawberry syrup, fresh local strawberries and whipped vanilla cream.
• Strawberry sorbet with black pepper and aged balsamic vinegar

Blueberry course

• Blueberry, almond and lemon galette crispy fried custard, passion fruit foam
• Hazelnut blueberry Linzer tart, baked with freshly cooked blueberry jam

Blackberry course

• Blackberry and pink peppercorn meringue sandwich with green tea and red bean ice cream
• Blackberry and lemon tiramisu with gingered sponge fingers

Raspberry course

• Raspberry & cream cheese mousse filled crepes with and raspberry lemon verbena sauce and toasted raspberry mashmellow
• Raspberry & rhubarb souffle with marinated raspberries

Apricot course

• Caramelized apricot & cardamom tart tatin with frozen apricot mousse and poached apricots.
• Pistachio and candied apricots financier with five-spice butter streusel

Peach course

• peach feulletine tart with almond filling, peach & thyme compote, black truffle ice cream and vanilla foam
• preserved brandy cinnamon peaches

Cherry course

• semolina dumplings with sauteed cherries and mint filling, served with a sour cherry sauce and a caramel sugar cage
• Blackforest cherry chocolate ice cream pops

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Summer preserves, jams, marmelades & jellies

$225.- (+tax) /  july & august only

Summer is fleeting and so are the local fruits that it brings. After eating your fill of fresh fruit and even turning some into delightful desserts, you wonder what else you can do to save the goodness and flavour of your fruits. This course was designed to help you preserve your summer fruits for consumption later. Chef Marco will explain the differences among jam, marmalade, chutney, fruit butter, and jelly. You’ll properly sterilize the canning equipment and understand the different acidity levels of each fruit. You will then be shown how to create your own gorgeous jars of sweet and tangy preserved fruit. Take them home to enjoy now or save them for months to come.

This is a back-to-back course and the second part of this course will continue the next day at the same time. This is also a hands-on course so please bring boxes to carry your jars home.

We will be working on the following preserves, however, depending on the seasonal items, the course outline could change slightly.

• Apple butter
• Fresh local strawberry and lime jam
• Spiced orange marmelade
• Lemon, orange, ginger & zucchini marmelade
• Spiced tomato & red bell pepper marmelade
• Strawberry chutney
• Gingered peach & apricot jam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Autumn preserving & baking course

Price: 215$ (plus 5% tax) / 8 hour course over two days / usually late october or early november – once a year

• Gingered, spiced pear jam
• Quince Jam
• How to poach and preserve pears
• The ultimate pumpkin pie (completly made from scratch of course – with real pumpkin)
• Walnut, pecan & chocolate chip tart
• Chestnut, cassis & dried meringue Mont Blanc
• Poached quince & crumble tart
• & more…….

Course Dates

Friday, May.24.2013 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons SOLD OUT

115$ (+tax) and please bring a small box to carry your macarons home at the end of the course. Refreshments & light snacks will be provided together with apron and all the recipes. Please dress comfortable and suiteble for kitchen work.

Friday, June.7.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

115$ (+tax) and please bring a small box to carry your macarons home at the end of the course. Refreshments & light snacks will be provided together with apron and all the recipes. Please dress comfortable and suiteble for kitchen work.

Tuesday, July.2.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Baking with local Summer Fruits – Course 1 / Strawberries

Summer time special course (+tax)

Tuesday, July.2.2013 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»Baking with local Summer Fruits – Course 1 / Strawberries

Summer time special course (+tax) for this one day (4h)

Monday, July.15.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Baking with local Summer Fruits – Course 2 / Raspberries

Summer time special course (+tax) for this one day (4h)

Friday, July.26.2013 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

Monday, July.29.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Baking with local Summer Fruits – Course 3 / Blueberries

Monday, August.5.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Baking with local Summer Fruits – Course 4 / Blackberries

Tuesday, August.6.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Baking with local Summer Fruits – Course 5 / Cherries

Monday, August.12.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Baking with local Summer Fruits – Course 6 / Peaches

Tuesday, August.13.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Baking with local Summer Fruits – Course 7 / Apricots

Friday, September.20.2013 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

115$ (+tax)

Friday, November.22.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

.115$ (+tax)

Wednesday, November.27.2013 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»European Christmas Baking Course (Day 1)

Thursday, November.28.2013 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»European Christmas Baking Course (Day 2)

Friday, December.6.2013 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

Monday, December.9.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»European Christmas Baking Course (Day 1)

Tuesday, December.10.2013 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»European Christmas Baking Course (Day 2)

Friday, January.17.2014 - ( 6:30pm – 10:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

Friday, February.21.2014 - ( 6:30pm – 10:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

Friday, March.21.2014 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

Friday, April.25.2014 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

Wednesday, April.30.2014 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Tiramisu & Classical Cakes of Europe’s Pastry Kitchens (day 1)

195 (+tax) for each class of a total of 8h, all pastry classes are held over two consecutive days at 4h each.

Thursday, May.1.2014 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»Tiramisu & Classical Cakes of Europe’s Pastry Kitchens (day 2)

Friday, May.30.2014 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

Friday, June.13.2014 - ( 10:00am – 2:00pm )

»The Art of French Macarons

Friday, July.4.2014 - ( 5:30pm – 9:30pm )

»The Art of French Macarons