Join artisanal baker Leo Baduria to discover the secrets of one of French pastry's most magical delights - the flaky, delicate butter croissant. You will learn the whole process of creating your own croissants, from the base yeasted brioche dough, to the techniques of butter lamination that creates the croissant's signature delicate layered texture. This versatile dough can be used to make a variety of pastries like pain au chocolat, cinnamon swirls, palmiers and more. There will be delicious fresh croissants to enjoy in class, and participants will be able to take additional dough to bake at home.

What could be more fitting for the Dep's first event in our new kitchen at CSI — our 'birthday' so to speak — than to host an event in celebration of Mother's Day? For this special class, Alissa Kondogiannis is crafting an exquisitely festive babka: rose water-infused raspberry jam combined with a decadent dark chocolate filling ribboned throughout tender, warm braided brioche, delicately sprinkles with dried rose petals.

Today's class by Zhanar Khamitova showcases Manti. Though they share a name with their small Turkish relatives, these larger Central Asian dumplings are closer in spirit to Afghan mantu or Tibetan momos. Filled with meat and vegetables, manti are a holiday staple with the whole families pitching in to roll the dough, scoop the filling and fold the dumplings. Zhanar’s manti are filled with lamb, onions, butternut squash and seasoned with traditional spices such as cumin, coriander, and black pepper. We will prepare these together, preparing the filling, rolling the dough, then stuffing, shaping and steaming the mantis. There will  also be a vegetarian version with green lentils, onions, and butternut squash; both are served with 2 sauces: a white yogurt, garlic and coriander sauce and a red tomato and bell pepper sauce. 

What could be more fitting for the Dep's first event in our new kitchen at CSI — our 'birthday' so to speak — than to host an event in celebration of Mother's Day? For this special class, Alissa Kondogiannis is crafting an exquisitely festive babka: rose water-infused raspberry jam combined with a decadent dark chocolate filling ribboned throughout tender, warm braided brioche, delicately sprinkles with dried rose petals.