Savory Tarts and Quiches

One of the most memorable graduation gifts I received this past month came as a pleasant surprise from a friend.  I arrived at Santa Monica Place expecting a latte class perhaps (which I had been talking about for the longest time) – but what a delight to end up at the door of The Gourmandise School!  And this was no latte class; instead, we had been signed up for a course in savory tarts and quiches!  In the next three hours, we learned the basics of preparing tart crusts and fillings along with other useful tidbits for the avid baker.  I was thrilled to have an instructor indispensable to me, with the experience and knowledge to be able to answer my every question regarding baking.

The menu for the day follows:                                                 

• Caramelized tomato tart
• Mushroom and spinach tart
• Quiche Lorraine

The best part of the course was that all the ingredients were already pre-measured in individual bowls, and all our dishes were immediately washed for us after being used.  If only cooking and baking at home could be so easy and mess-free!

We were taught the techniques of chilling and rolling out pastry dough to create good crusts for pies and tarts.

Here is the caramelized tomato tart before flipping it out of the pan.  It was surprisingly sweet given that it is a savory tart.

We were allowed to take away boxes of tarts which we had made, which made great gifts for neighbors and friends.  I was pleased to see that the end result of our quiches and tarts could have easily been something you’d find in a local bakery.

The Gourmandise School offers a variety of courses, from macarons and layer cakes to knife skills and French bistro cuisine.  Check it out if you're in the area and looking for a comprehensive lesson in improving your cooking/baking techniques!

- Candice
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Battle of the Bakers: Tea Festival

                       
The Royal T art space and café in Culver City has never failed to impress me.  From pop up stores featuring vinyl toys to high tea services and green tea lattes, this venue has it all.  The distinguishing aspect of Royal T is that it is a maid café, where waitresses are dressed in Lolita-style black and white lace dresses.  In the evenings, local artists and musicians showcase their work here.  My favorite discovery by far is the artwork by Friends With You.
I was sad to miss out on their recent Harajuku Party, but was thrilled to come across the Tea Festival hosted by Royal T.  This week-long event celebrates all aspects of drinking and cooking with tea.  One event which particularly stood out to me was Battle of the Bakers, where Kristy Choo from Jin Patisserie and Robert Wemischner of Cooking with Tea contested in a bake-off, demonstrating the preparation of desserts using
tea.

I was especially excited to see Kristy Choo, since I am an avid fan of her cakes and macarons at Jin Patisserie.

  

Audience members had the opportunity to try a total of nine desserts from the competition (I was quite full but satisfied afterwards!):

Green tea rhubarb pound cake with a fluffy green tea whipped cream

Green tea parfait with nuts and rhubarb:

Live commentary throughout!

One of my favorite desserts, a chocolate tea-infused ice cream cake topped with candied nuts:

A brownie-like cake, tart, and ice cream sandwich with tea-infused ingredients:

Here's a cute video recapping the event!  Unfortunately, I learned recently that Royal T will be closing soon and a new location is unknown as of now.  Hopefully the café will relocate elsewhere in LA so that local artists can continue receiving support and we can continue enjoying tea time in this unique café.

- Candice
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