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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