Those that know me (or follow along on Instagram) know that I am a huge fan of Tatte Bakery (evidence above). Aside from my monthly breakfast dates with Ashley at the Third Street location in Kendall Square, I also make frequent jaunts to the original Brookline location, which is all too conveniently located around the corner from my apartment.
My birthday was back in December, but this past weekend I had the opportunity to cash in on the ultimate birthday gift from my family: a croissant making class at Tatte bakery for Ashley and me. While I don’t have an overwhelming need to make croissants in my own home, this was the ultimate combination of my three loves: cooking, learning, and Tatte bakery. And to get to experience it with the friend that got me into baking in the first place (remember this recipe?) and who also loves Tatte made the deal even sweeter. No one would appreciate it more.
Croissants are, of course, butter filled calorie bombs. This certainly wasn’t a healthy cooking class. In fact, there wasn’t a whole grain in sight. But nonetheless, I learned a lot about the technique behind this (very complex!) French pastry. Additionally, when my classmates and I got a visual of just how much butter goes into these flaky, pillowy delectables, we were abruptly reminded why croissants are considered a special treat, and not part of a daily routine.
The class itself, held at the Main Street location in Kendall Square, was about 3 hours long, with a short break in the middle. (Stumptown coffee was on the house!) Our instructor mixed up a dough and demonstrated the three stages of folds, but had various doughs ready in the fridge so that we didn’t have to wait around.
There was a lot of hands-on activity, as we each rolled out our own dough and got to shape our own dozen croissants with various fillings (almond, chocolate, and cream cheese) to bake and take home. Additionally, because a few people canceled last minute (the max number of participants is 12, although ours was an intimate class of 8), the instructor divvied up the leftover dough so that we could each bring some croissant dough home as well. Score!
In addition to the popular croissant class, Tatte also offers classes on Brioche, Bread, Cookies, Tarts, and a few other holiday inspired treats. See here for the full class lineup, and to learn more about pricing and schedules.
– Kelly
P.S. Headed to Tatte? Get the muesli! It’s the most delicious way to start your day on a healthy note!
Kelly Toups, MLA, RD, LDN 
What an awesome experience to be a part of and learn. My first reaction to the post was to gasp in horror at the calories, LOL, but as you said, it is an art and an occasional treat.
The fillings sound wonderfully tempting as well. I believe that the appreciation of what is involved in the process of something like this, makes it even more special. Even as health conscious teachers, we shouldn’t deny ourselves a sinful treat once in a while.
Definitely! I also think that cooking classes are a great way to train yourself to discern what constitutes a healthy recipe, and that treats like croissants are best for special occasions.
sounds like the croissant class was very cool. Yum.
Best regards,
Cynthia
It definitely was! And tasty, too! 🙂
Looks like a very sweeeeeet class : ) Love seeing you have so much fun and pursue your interests! “wasn’t a whole grain in sight” made me laugh.