After attending the fun lemon tart class I attended last year, I signed up for the “Apple Pie and Tatin Tart” class when it opened a few months back. Despite registering early for the Irvine baking class, I almost decided to withdraw the night before. After months of hectic schedule, I didn’t think I could show up on a Wednesday night to bake from 7PM to 9:30 PM. Just the thought of it exhausted me.

However, I simply could not miss out on another opportunity to learn French baking from a French instructor. And I’m so glad that I didn’t! 😉

Before the Baking

Just like last time, the class was taught by instructor Sylvie Roux at the Irvine Fine Arts Center. The center has a studio with an oven and kitchen, and participants simply have to show up on the designated day and time wearing closed-toe shoes and a $10 ingredients and tolls fee.

*The ingredients fee is separate from the class fee, which was $47 (around $50 with convenience fee). We were told to pay the ingredients fee in cash, in check or via Venmo only (no credit card).

We were also told via email that we could bring small or medium containers to bring home our pastries. (From my experience, it’s best to bring a large/wide container that can hold pie-shaped pastries. Both the lemon tart and apple pie + tatin tart were baked in round shapes.)

Apple Pie

Led by our instructor and her assistant, us twelve participants sat around a large table and worked in groups of 3~5 to create both the apple pie and tarte tatin. We started off with the pie and tart dough, mixing the ingredients together in a food processor. Since we worked in groups, sometimes watching was all you could do while others did the work. But I think watching others bake helps you learn as well.

After creating the batter, we each got a small batch to place inside our given pie molds. While we preheated the pie dough in the oven, we moved on to the highlight of the apple pie/tatin tart: 🍎

Apples Galore

Each of us were given a single Gala apple to peel with an apple peeling machine. It was my first time using an apple peeler/corer/slicer, and I must say it does wonders!

Since there was only one apple peeling machine, us participants each took turn peeling our Gala apples. Then, we further cut the beautifully peeled apples into smaller bits and pieces to place on top of the preheated dough.

As for the finishing touch, we sprinkled whipping cream + egg + sugar preparation on top before completely baking our pies in the oven.

Tarte Tatin

As inexperienced as I am in French baking, I thought that “apple tatin tart” and “apple pie” were similar, i.e. interchangeable. So I thought we were making apple tart for this class. But I learned that tarte tatin is completely different and we were making BOTH the apple pie and apple tatin tart.

First of all, tatin tart has caramel in it. Our instructor taught us how to make caramels, and to our surprise, caramels are nothing but heated sugar!

Secondly, to make a tarte tatin, you pour the caramel on the bottom of the mold, put in the sliced apples, cover it with the dough, and then flip over the tart once baked. With apple pies, you put the dough then the apples, but with tarte tatin, you put the caramel and the apples then the dough.

Takeaways

My second French baking class taught by instructor Sylvie Roux was as informative and fun as my first one. She handed us her recipes for both the French apple pie and apple tatin tarte, which are authentic French recipes from her family with her own tips. And after class, we each left with one small apple pie and one small apple tatin tart.

The OC French baking classes offered by the city of Irvine are great ways to explore French pastries as well as opportunities to work in a collaborative environment with fellow beginner bakers. They’re wonderful in that you get to learn French baking from a French instructor without overly expensive fees/tuition or the need to travel to France.

If you dream of baking but don’t know where to start, I recommend OC French cooking classes!

🍎Link to OC French Baking Class Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/frenchcookingoc/

🍎Link to Irvine classes taught by instructor Sylvie Roux: https://secure.yourirvine.org/CA/city-of-irvine/catalog

🍋To read about the lemon tart class I took last year, click HERE.

P.S. I tried to recreate the French apple pie by myself over the weekend, and it turned out pretty successful!

As even I, a complete beginner, can now bake French apple pie and lemon tart by myself, the classes are totally effective! 👍