COOK’N WITH CLASS

I attended a 3-hour French pastry baking class on May 29, 2014. I never baked so attempting to make even a tiny bread is an ambitious endeavor. I just like croissants that’s why I thought of enrolling in this class, and in Paris pa. Sobrang ambisyosa.

I paid euro 125 for the 3 hour class at Cook’n with Class plus taxi 50 from the hotel and back.

Their mini culinary school is a bit far from Mercure Hotel in Nanterre. Taking a Metro train could prove futile as I would definitely end up somewhere else. The hotel concierge called a taxi and when it arrived, the meter was already at Euro 11.40. Before I could even board, the meter went up to 12.00.

I asked the driver where he came from, kasi ang taas na agad ng metro. He said their station is in La Defence. It’s pronouced like Laddofowns, lakihan mo ng konti yung boses mo, yung parang nananakot, galing sa bituka, LADOFOWNS.

I paid him Euro 30, ang layo. Cook’n with Class is in 6 rue Baudelique, a small side street near the corner of the main road rue Ordener. The area is near Porte Clignancourt.

I must have rang their doorbell and knocked on the narror glass door for 10 minutes. Sarado and no one came to answer. I texted na nga my daughter to call them to open the door. I also got worried that I got the address wrong. I took a big coin Euro2 from my back and started making katutuk the glass, nilakasan ko talaga, halos mabasag na nga. Wala pa ring sumagot.
Finally, an Indian guy came out of his sastre across the street and told me to knock on the garage door. Yun daw ang daan. Eh nakalagay garage!
I pressed the doorbell, hindi pa ako nakakahinga, ang tall French guy opened the door “Bonjour madame”.

This is their kitchen for cooking demo classes

The place looks fairly organized and clean.

Black apron is for cooking.

Red one is for baking.

For the first 15 minutes, I couldn’t understand what we’re going to bake. The instructor kept on saying KWASONG. “Today we’re going to make KWASONG. it’s easy, we put butter, whala, you have kwasong….”

I told myself, patay, paano na kaya ito, hindi ko maintindihan, ano ba yung kwasong. After 15 minutes, ayun naman pala, Kwasong is how you pronouce croissant. KWASONG. Ang sarap bigkasin. KWASONG! Paggalit ka, para medyo may class ng konti, say “kwasong ina mo” instead.

My classmates were from Trinidad Tobago and the USA

Egg yolks lang

Ako yan, galing kong mag beat ng egg yolks.

I couldn’t believe how much butter went into the dough of the kwasong.

Notice the top part is rough, kasi napatid yung dough. My instructor told me it’s because I have warm hands. Mainit talaga palad ko, the butter and dough daw would melt. Siguro I am not meant to work in a bake shop.

You cannot wake up pala feeling “uy gusto kong magbake ng croissant”, because the dought needs 24-48 hours preparation.

Rolling the dough with chocolate inside, for pain de chocolat

Raisins must be submerged in either liquor or water several hours before baking time.

After one and a half hours of standing, my back was breaking so I went to the other room and carried this heavy stainless steel chair. The instructor said that’s the only one we could bring and we just have to share.
Agn sakit ng bewang ko, at grabe ang ngawit ng legs ko. Another indication that I am not meant to be a baker.

Whala, here’s the kwasong courtesy of Pastry Chef Frenchie Annie.

Million euro question: Will I be able to repeat baking kwasong, pain de chocolat, etc?
Answer: Cheaper and faster to buy from Deli France.