Pumpkins, Pears, Pies & Pastry: A Celebration of Thanksgiving Baking with Raquel Bagatini
Live, hands-on virtual class, hosted on Zoom
Raquel is what we like to call a baker's baker, a born teacher with exceptional skill for bringing out the best in flavors (and people) and creating sheer beauty in the baking kitchen. She's worked her way up some of the most iconic bakeries around, like Balthazar Bakery in NYC & NJ, and now she heads one of the loveliest bakeries in California. She's taking her Saturday off to do her very first virtual class with us (yay, Raquel, we LOVE virtual newbies!) and to share some delicious, doable recipes for the holiday season.
In this class, Raquel is going to bake you through her ideal mix of Thanksgiving choices for the home holiday table, using seasonal pumpkins and pears. Whether you are a seasoned pie and bread maker, a perpetual holiday host or guest, or a wannabe baker who just needs a little (or a lot) of extra guidance, Raquel has a menu of gorgeous goodies for you and lots of kitchen tips and tricks for how to organize your dessert and bread spread like a pro! Professional chefs and bakers know how to take the principles of their craft--quality ingredients, diversity of menu, and lots of do-ahead prep--and add a touch of simplicity to the mix for holiday home baking. During our time together, Chef Raquel will bake you though two made-from-scratch dessert pies and a centerpiece savory-ish bread for an accessible and delicious, at-home holiday meal.
This class will include two components: a 2.5-hour interactive class, where we will make and assemble our baking menu together, and a pre-recorded Zoom video, which you will receive in the week prior to class. This video will show you how to make your pie dough and pie fillings, in advance, and wrap and store them for assembly and baking on Saturday, November 13. This two-step process will also act as a guide for you, in real-time, on how to prep your holiday dessert course, in advance, and hopefully, stress-free, for your holiday entertaining, guest appearance, or solo-show of self-love.
Here's our menu for this 2.5-hour interactive class:
A Leaner, Lighter, Spice-Filled Pumpkin Pie
dressed up to impress a special crowd (we consider this to be the pumpkin pie for people who really don't love pumpkin pie--in other words, we hope, it's going to convert you forevermore)
A Decadent, Do-Ahead Pear Tart Tatin
A Pumpkin, Sage & Cranberry Braided Bread Crown
the perfect centerpiece for your holiday table
This class is limited to 15 registrants, first-come, first-serve.
PREPARATION
Pumpkins, Pears, Pies & Pastry is a live, interactive cooking class, hosted by Six Dutchess Farm on Zoom, and taught by Raquel Bagatini from her California Kitchen. Recipes, a full ingredient list, and a Zoom link will be provided one week prior to class. Though you are not required to bake along, it does make the experience more immersive and it provides you with a real weekend treat.
CANCELLATIONS
Please note, no refunds are given should you decide to cancel your registration, but we do provide class credit up to ten days prior to the class (for use in 2022). After this time, if you are unable to attend, we encourage you to gift your class to a friend or loved one, who can share the recipes and experience with you, and maybe even cook the meal for you, too!
About the Instructor | Raquel Bagatini
Raquel Bagatini is a Brazilian-born pastry chef and head baker at the iconic Big Sur Bakery, in Big Sur, California.
She learned the art and craft of baking while working under the tutelage of Chef Paula Orland at famed Balthazar Bakery in Englewood, New Jersey, and New York City for nearly 10 years. Raquel was first introduced to bread baking at a very young age by her mother, who used a wood fired-oven growing up in their home in Brazil. One of her earliest food memories was helping her mother make handmade pasta from a Bigolaro pasta extruder, with the important job of sitting on the floor and dusting the fresh pasta with semolina flour. One of eight siblings, Raquel was the youngest and always happy to help out at her parents family restaurant, where she learned all about sharing food and love though hospitality. Those childhood memories formed the basis of her life-long passion for naturally leaved breads, jam and pie-making.
Today, Raquel lives in Central California with her husband Chris, who is also a chef. On her time off, she loves hosting friends for dinner at their home in the Carmel Valley, and she can often be found hiking the Valley in the company of her pup Lemmy. She also has a kitty named Mica and loves watching her chickens forage in the backyard. She dreams of one day having a small farm with a small flock of sheep and a stone fruit orchards for jam making and, of course, a pie stand at the end of the road.