I was one of the 60 lucky folks to attend the outstanding Hot Stove Society event with Dorie Greenspan. Dorie included a stop at Hot Stove Society on her book tour for her 11th book, Baking Chez Moi, Recipes from my Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere”. First things first…. Hot Stove Society is a year-round cooking school operated by Tom Douglas restaurants. It is located across the street from Tom’s first restaurant, Dahlia Lounge, on the second level of Hotel Andra. It is a beautiful space for hands on cooking classes, as well as lectures and demonstrations, like the event with Dorie. It is a warm and intimate environment. I had the chance to say hello to Dorie before she began speaking. I introduced myself and told her I was a blogger. When I informed her of the name of my blog, she said “well what are you doing here?”. I assured her I loved to bake and was actually a quite accomplished baker and I appreciated her recipes very much. I also spoke with her husband Michael and asked him how he and Dorie managed to stay so thin and fit, in spite of all the amazing goodies Dorie creates. He informed me they subscribe to a strict “taste and release” policy! I wonder if their doorman is as svelte? Chef Tom Douglas and Dorie pictured below.
Dorie’s newest book is a peek into what people in Paris actually bake at home as well as traditional recipes from her favorite Parisian shops. Dorie told many delightful stories about the effort it took to gather the recipes from friends and friends of friends, as well as their reaction to seeing the recipes in the book. She talked about the history of the Tarte Tropezienne; a delicious cake like creation made from brioche style dough, baked in a large round then split and filled with pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. You can find some version of this creation in every pastry shop in St. Tropez, along with a picture of Brigot Bardot who named the cake La Tarte Tropezienne. Dorie informed us the new trend in Parisian cream puffs includes different flavored fillings and a crackle top due to the addition of a butter cookie on top, a delicious twist. Un Dimanche A Paris, or Sunday in Paris Chocolate Cake is from one of Dorie’s favorite pastry shops. The cake called for peanut butter, which is a rarely used ingredient in Paris and took Dorie days to find before she could actually make the cake. We were treated to these three desserts, prepared by the students from the South Seattle Community College Culinary School Pastry Program, and demonstrated by the director of the program, Chef Christopher Harris under Dorie’s watchful eye.
Yes, my serving of Tarte Tropezienne is missing from the photographs. I totally lost my mind and ate it without taking a picture first. What was I thinking? It was delicious!
The event ended with Dorie graciously signing our books. In my case, it was a total of three of her books. She is so kind, friendly, witty, and charming and spent a good amount of time talking with each one of us. I cannot wait to bake and share with you, from Baking Chez Moi.
Have a great evening,
Laura
