Laura Scheck's French Canadian heritage provides the inspiration for this festive class with both sweet and savory holiday bakes. We will start by mulling wine with orange, star anise and other spices to warm your home and your palate. We’ll bake a traditional Quebecois pie with scratch-made butter pastry. Choose either tourtière, made from gorton (spiced pork) and mashed potatoes or salmon pie, a simpler, more sustainable alternative to the pork. Tourtière, a savory meat and potato pie, is a staple of holiday meals across Quebec. It is typically made from pork, but may also include game like venison and is best accompanied by dijon mustard. Lastly, we’ll bake up a batch of hermits, a fruit and nut studded spiced molasses cookie that French Canadian children often leave for Père Noël (Father Christmas). The version she grew up with was baked in logs, then cut into bars. They usually contained raisins and sometimes walnuts, but you can include other dried fruits and omit the nuts if you choose.
Practice basic baking skills, test your hand at some advanced tricks, and learn pronunciations for all of these words, including French, Canadian, and New England variations of each. Impress your holiday guests with some new showstoppers.
This is a virtual, hands-on class. There is some prep required for this class, particularly if you make the pork version. You’ll receive a detailed list of ingredients, materials, and prep instructions at least 1 week before class. A hand-held electric mixer is recommended for the hermits.
Registered students will receive a recording of the class.
Please be sure to register by the day before the class at the latest. You will receive an invitation email with a link to join the Zoom meeting. Click here for a tutorial on how to join a Zoom meeting.