Why Whole Wheat?

posted in: Gourmandise News | 0

“This is the best cookie/croissant/sourdough I’ve ever had” is the most common phrase uttered in our baking classes. Our secret weapons? Sonora, Spelt, Hard White, and Rye are the rainbow of whole grain flours in our arsenal.

Our goal as …

12 Days of Holiday Cookies

posted in: Holiday | 1

Recipes & Tips for the Holidays from Our Kitchen to Yours

Our 2022 Holiday Cookie Collection was curated, styled and shot entirely by the awesome team behind our cooking and baking classes. We hope you’ll bake up one or all of our …

Quiche Lorraine Scones

posted in: Gourmandise News | 0
scones

Quiche Lorraine Scones

Course: Breakfast & Brunch, Pastry
Servings: 8 scones
Ok, so there aren’t any eggs in these scones, but we are in love with the quiche combo of cheese and bacon! If you can’t find the classic cubed

Dyeing Easter Eggs, Naturally

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

It’s time to dye eggs, naturally!


Gather together a few dozen eggs and your favorite crafty fingers this weekend and you’ll be continuing an ancient tradition celebrating rebirth, creation, and healing. Cultures have been decorating, dyeing, waxing, and carving eggs from the …

For the Love of Chocolate

posted in: Travel & Culture | 0

Let’s dig into how chocolate is grown! For starters, chocolate, or cacao, begins its life on a farm. The Theobroma Cacao tree grows 20˚ North and 20˚ South of the Equator and spread from its origins in the area that …

HOW TO FEED A POD

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

If you’re one of the millions of parents who are struggling with this new normal, we’re here to both commiserate and help. We learned how to cope on the fly last Spring and with the start of a new school …

What Can We Do…

We have been moved by the collective moment of observance to reflect on our country’s painful history of violence, racism, segregation and policies leading to civil and economic inequities and violence. In an effort to create dialogue and give voice …

Small Batch Scones

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

We love big-batch baking, but when you can’t readily share your full sheet pan of brownies or 4 dozen cookies with your friends and neighbors and you’re craving something special, it’s nice to make things in small batches. We cut …

Matzah

posted in: Gourmandise News | 0

Here’s a recipe for homemade matzah. These might not be kosher for passover, but they’ll make your house smell incredible, will keep little hands busy for some time and make a fantastic vessel for chocolate-covered matzah over the weekend. Enjoy …

LA Farmers Markets

posted in: Our LA Favorites | 0

Dear Students,

It’s hard to imagine that we have been living this new normal for less than a couple of weeks now. We’ve encountered shortages at our favorite grocery stores, turned to take-out in place of dining in and shifted …

Your Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

The star of any Thanksgiving meal is and has always been the turkey. Crisp, brown skin and juiciness throughout are the hallmarks of a well-prepared bird. But very often, the turkey is bland, bone-dry and, quite frankly, disappointing. Fortunately, these …

How to Win at Brunch

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

Chef John is our King of Brunch, Excellency 0f Eggs and Minister of Muffins. He received his titles as lead breakfaster for the L.A. Kings a few years ago, regularly feeding 40-50 hungry skaters before 7am. John’s epic brunch skills aren’t just …

The Art of a Tart

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

We love our buttery vessels, but the difference between pies and tarts can get confusing. A flaky crust makes for delicious pies and savory quiches, but sweet tarts- the sort you’d find expertly adorned with fresh raspberries and a touch …

Whiskey 101 with Matthew Biancaniello

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

The Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market is church for nearly every chef, established or aspiring, in Los Angeles. You’ll see bakers slalom past strollers with mile-high stacks crates of peaches and strawberries, restaurants chefs piling artichokes on top of potatoes …

How Whiskey is Made

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

Whiskey is, quite simply, distilled beer. The Scots use barley, your Kentucky Bourbon is made from at least 51% corn and Canadian Whisky’s got rye. These grains go through a series of processes to go from grain to alcohol -stay with …

5 Pie Tips from Evan Kleiman

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

There are two classes on our calendar that stir up a lot of emotion in students. Cake decorating is a delicious alternative to the Myers Briggs test, but pie classes take the cake. Out of 12 students, we’ll find that half …

How Irish Soda Bread Works

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

Irish soda bread did not originate in Belfast, just as potatoes weren’t indigenous to the green isles and tartans aren’t Scottish. The Irish picked up the soda bread tradition from Native Americans who had been leaving their breads with pearl ash, a …

Korean BBQ at Home

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

It’s not quite BBQ season yet, but we’re all itching to break out the charcoal, call our friends over and…eat! Chef May (who you may have had in a Sushi or Chinese Dumplings class) hosts the best get togethers and …

Our Top Doughnuts in Los Angeles

posted in: Our LA Favorites | 0

We know this list is going to get us in trouble because everyone’s got their “go to” shop.  We’re not knocking your neighborhood joint, but Ruth and Claire and some of our other diligent, selfless staff members have donated their …

Mardis Gras 101

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

The deep, meaty flavors of Creole jambalaya contrast the brighter tomato-based version that Cajun influences brought to the dish. Either way you make it dish, be sure to double this recipe if you plan on having more that four hungry …

Where to Buy Chocolate in Los Angeles

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0
Chocolate isn’t just for Valentine’s Day, but knowing where to get the good stuff for a lover’s holiday is helpful. We’ve compiled a list of chocolate shops specializing in truffles, confections and toffees as well as retailers who carry specialty single origin

How to Buy Chocolate

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

Chocolate runs through our blood at Gourmandise like no other ingredient.  It’s there for us in the morning on a thick slice of sourdough bread, toasted and studded with milk chocolate pieces melting atop the toast like heaven on …

Dinner in 20

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

Our dinner routines, like most of the folks we know who work in food, are unconventional. Dinner is often a grouping of leftovers from work or a grain or starch accompanied by one of our homemade condiments. We get home …

Butterscotch makes it better.

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

Sugar is to butterscotch as reconstituted frozen concentrated orange juice is to a juicy navel orange. The range of flavors and nuances derived from sugar cane as it is processed into sugar are great and far from just one-note-sweet.

Shall we discuss …

Top 5 Cookie Decorating Tips

It’s time to decorate! Relax, make your cookies ahead of time and follow these easy steps to cookie perfection.

1. Use a cookie recipe that doesn’t include leaveners (such as baking soda and baking powder) for cookies that lay perfectly …

Top 5 Turkey Day Tips

posted in: Holiday | 0

Top 5 Turkey Day Tips From The Gourmandise School Of Sweets and Savories in Los Angeles

Whether you’re hosting the meal at your house or bringing a dish to a host, the season is about enjoying the process. Before you …

5 Years of Sweet Gratitude

posted in: Gourmandise News | 0

Tucked away in a corner of Santa Monica Place, now at the entrance of the Metro’s final stop, is a room full of gratitude. We opened five years ago as part of a larger collection of shops and restaurants, weathering …

DIY Candy: The Spring Edition

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

Spring is here! We’re so excited. The chickens are mating with rabbits, plastic grasses are sprouting from wicker baskets and chocolate eggs are bearing sweet centers. It’s time to get all Willy Wonka and make wacky candy all on your own. …

Something Green for Breakfast

posted in: Food & Recipes | 0

Hold up. Before you get your St Patty’s britches all bunched up at the sight of this un-recipe, consider the number of pints you’ll consume this holiday. We love this sort of breakfast any time of year, and with all …