This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I attended the best baking class last week, led by master pastry chef, baking instructor, and award winning cookbook author, Nick Malgieri, held at Barbara Fenzl’s wonderful cooking school, Les Gourmettes, here in Phoenix.
During the 2 hour demonstration, Chef Malgieri prepared 5 recipes from his 2008 cookbook, The Modern Baker, a collection of 150 simple step-by-step recipes that use the most up-to-date tools and techniques to create delicious breads, biscotti, cakes, cookies, pies, and tarts quickly and easily.
Based on yesterday’s delicious results, this cookbook has moved to the top of my current wish list.
Nick Malgieri’s love for baking and teaching and depth of experience are apparent.
Throughout the demonstration, he shared tips and tricks for baking success and entertained us with interesting stories. Everything we sampled was delicious.
I know I’ve been to a great cooking or baking class, when I can’t wait to get home and make the recipes.
Too often I end up filing them away, either because they weren’t that memorable or were too complicated to replicate at home.
Not today.
I couldn’t wait to get home and try my hand at Malgieri’s Torta Sorrentina – orange scented olive oil cake.
There were so many things I learned that made this baking class worth more than the price of attending – a quick and reliable method for fluffy white icing, the recipe for orange scented olive oil cake, not to mention a recipe and method for tart dough that doesn’t require rolling!
The Modern Baker Class Recipes Demonstrated:
- Dough for Thick-Crusted Pizza and Focaccia
- Sfincione: Palermo Focaccia – topped with quintessential Sicilian ingredients – tomatoes, anchovies, and bread crumbs. (Fantastic)
- Macadamia Shortbreads – a simple, yet special bar cookie
- Devil’s Food Cake with Fluffy White Icing with a fast reliable method for making the icing
- Roman Almond and Pine Nut Tart
- Orange Scented Olive Oil Cake
If you are interested in baking and have the chance to attend a class taught by Nick Malgieri, I highly encourage you to do it. He travels frequently throughout the country teaching classes and directs the baking program at The Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School) in NYC.
More Phoenix-Area Cooking Classes You Might Also Like
Andy Food – A Scottsdale based culinary studio with public classes, private parties and team building workshops
Roka Akor – Sushi master classes one Saturday a month
Sweet Basil – A kitchen shop and cooking school in Scottsdale
Whisked Away – A small cooking school in Phoenix
