Pastry & Baking Arts - New York Campus

INTRODUCTION TO BAKING ARTS TECHNIQUES AND INGREDIENTS PART 1

44 hours

The program begins with in-depth education on the ingredients, techniques and procedures that the students will use throughout the program, including:

• Identification and discussion of the essential ingredient groups such as sugar, dairy and fruit.
• Weights and measures, food safety, knife safety, sanitation, and equipment use and identification.
• Introduction to basic decorating skills, the use of a pastry bag and making and utilizing cornets.
• Introduction to hydrocolloids, including pectin and gelatin, for making items such as panna cotta.
• Techniques for preparing fruit-based desserts, including paring, poaching, roasting, macerating, drying and candying.
• The theory and practice of sugar cookery, including the preparation of fudge, torrone, nougatine lollipops and brittle.

INTRODUCTION TO BAKING ARTS TECHNIQUES AND INGREDIENTS PART 2

56 hours

All well-executed desserts rely on a mastery of fundamental techniques. In this course, students begin the journey toward that goal by studying:

• Introduction to chocolate and tempering.
• The basics of custards for preparing desserts like crème brûlée, crème caramel, bread puddings and pastry creams.
• Introduction to pâte à choux to prepare items such as éclairs and Paris-Brest.
• The basics of egg and egg white theory to prepare desserts such as soufflés, meringues and buttercreams.
• How to prepare a variety of cheesecakes, including sour cream and mascarpone cheesecakes.
• Production of frozen desserts such as ice creams, sorbets and granitas.

BREADS AND OTHER YEAST-RAISED DOUGHS

40 hours

Bread is at the crossroads of the culinary and baking arts. At the heart of this deceptively simple food is some of the program’s most challenging material, including:

• The technique and theory of working with yeasted doughs: fermentation, dough hydration, temperature control, kneading and formation methods.
• Application of this knowledge by baking a variety of yeast items, including braided, olive and sourdough loaves along with brioche, bagels, baguettes, focaccia, pizza, pretzels and doughnuts.
• The techniques to create laminated doughs such as croissant and Danish.

PASTRY DOUGHS

60 hours

Mixing, rolling, turning and forming: These are the essential skills pastry arts students should master as they're taught how to prepare the wide variety of doughs that are the basis of so many pastry items, including:

• Classic doughs techniques such as pâte brisée (flaky), pâte sucrée (sweet) and pâte sablée (cookie) to make individual tarts, pastries, scones, biscuits and shortcakes.
• Creation and utilization of laminated and layered doughs such as puff pastry, phyllo and hand-stretched strudel.
• Proper rolling and shaping techniques for preparing tarts, galettes, pies (single-crust, two-crust and lattice), palmiers, mille-feuille, fruit strips, pithiviers, croissants, pains au chocolat and a variety of Danish specialties.
• Specialty pastry shop items such as baklava, cannoli, linzer tortes and sfogliatelle.

CAKES, FILLINGS AND ICINGS PART 1

48 hours

From pound cake to génoise, pastry arts students go beyond the classic recipes to explore the theory and technique of cake making and expand their abilities to create original cakes. Highlights include:

• Butter-based and egg-foam cakes including layered and rolled versions.
• The theory of batter balance for preparing cakes using various mixing techniques including one-stage, high-ratio and creaming method. Cakes prepared include carrot, pound, white, yellow, crumb and chocolate along with muffins. Egg-foam cakes such as angel food, chiffon and génoise are also included.
• Cupcakes with advanced piping and gluten-free baking.
• A wide variety of cookies and bars, including biscotti, brownies, madeleines, macarons, rugelach, magic bars and rainbow cookies.

CAKES, FILLINGS AND ICINGS PART 2

52 hours

Batters produce more than the familiar cakes we often see: More complex techniques give us an international assortment of cakes and plated desserts. Covered here are:

• Complex layered cakes utilizing an assortment of cake layers including nut sponges, génoise mousseline, biscuit joconde and pain de gênes.
• An assortment of classic American and European cakes, including opera, miroir, tiramisu, crepe cake, mousse cakes, carrot, red velvet and German chocolate cake.
• Individual and entremet cakes.
• A plated dessert section that includes theory, preparation and presentation of multi-element, contemporary plated desserts. Pastry & Baking Arts students recreate and prepare recipes by award-winning chef and ICE Creative Director, Michael Laiskonis.

CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONS

44 hours

Of the various mediums used by pastry chefs to express their vision, none is more seductive than chocolate. This comprehensive course takes students beyond the basic techniques and allows them to experience the joy of creativity as they produce and assemble a chocolate showpiece. Highlights include:

• Chocolate production, theory and tempering methods.
• Dipping and enrobing items such as truffles and framed centers.
• Preparation of chocolate bars and filled chocolates including a wide variety of bonbons.
• Creation of chocolate and isomalt showpieces.

CAKE DECORATING

56 hours

Cake decorating represents the ultimate fusion of art and craft. Students’ effort and practice in prior classes are rewarded as they take their skills to a new level by preparing tiered cakes. Highlights include:

• Advanced buttercream flowers and borders, royal icing and rolled fondant decorations.
• Gum paste flowers, including peonies, lilies, roses and more.
• Floral arrangement and tiered cake assembly.
• The use of marzipan, white and dark modeling chocolate for making flowers, fruits, figurines and decorations.
• This course culminates in the creation of an original three-tiered celebration cake.

Learn more about ICE's Professional Cake Decorating program.

EXTERNSHIP

210 hours

At the end of their in-class training, all Pastry & Baking Arts students are assigned an externship. While the Institute of Culinary Education recommends that students extern in restaurant kitchens, they may request venues such as hotels, catering companies, pastry shops, bakeries or test kitchens in order to meet their professional goals.