Sweethearts’ Delights: Elegant Éclairs & Paczki (Polish Doughnuts)
Full Class Description: Valentine’s Day is most celebrated with sweets and chocolates gifted as an expression of love. Learn to make two dreamy mouthwatering sweets to share or give to your sweetheart, family, friends or loved ones on Valentine’s Day this year! During this class, you will learn to make a decadent French pastry known as a Chocolate Éclairs filled with pastry cream and covered in chocolate ganache, and another wonderfully rich yeasted desert knows as Paczki (Polish Doughnuts) filled with preserves or pastry cream. The steps for each dessert will be simplified so that any home cook will be able to create professional looking and tasting desserts for Valentine’s Day. Elements of these deserts will include, making the Choux pastry (Pâte à Choux), the sweet vanilla pastry cream filling and the ganache, in addition to making the wonderfully rich dough for the Paczki. Participants will also learning to cook and build each dessert to a level of excellence. Both deserts will make for a very special and memorable Valentine’s Day! Participants can chose to make one or the other, or both sweet treats, or simply watch to be able to make at a later time. Have your questions answered by the instructor, interact with other participants, and increase your confidence in the kitchen with each skill that is learned, and each little bit of advice and instruction that is shared. While cooking-along is loads of fun, and highly recommended, it is optional. Participants will receive a list of ingredients in advance of the class with enough time for shopping and preparation. A professionally made PDF packet of the Instructors Personal Recipes from this class will also be received. This class will take place on Zoom, free online software. Participants will receive instructions on how to access the class prior to it starting. As an added bonus, the instructor has created a private group and a public group on Facebook for participants of her cooking classes. Everyone will receive an invite to the groups although joining is optional. Come join the fun! Equipment Needs: Stand mixer is highly recommended, as it may be difficult to keep up with the kneading of the dough especially if making it for the first time. The dough is very rich, not your typical yeast dough. Note: One registration fee for this online virtual interactive class can include immediate family members living full-time in the same home ONLY. If children are participating, adult supervision is required. If friends, adult children, or extended family members are gathering for a fun night together, EACH household must register SEPARATELY even if participating together.
• Classes are either Cook-Along, or a combination of Demonstration and Cook-Along but cooking along is always optional! Recipe packets are for the exclusive use of those that have REGISTERED and are not to be shared.
- Ingredient list / station prep handouts will be provided to the districts roughly 5 days in advance of the class and emailed out to those registered prior to class, so people have time to purchase needed ingredients and prepare their cooking stations.
- A Recipe Packet will be provided to the registered participants AFTER the class has been completed via email.
Tess Georgakopoulos, also known as “Chef Tess—Culinary Artist”, has been cooking and baking for well
over 45 years since she was roughly 6 years old. Born into a Greek family, the art of cooking traditional
meals using ones senses rather than recipes and measurements was passed on from one generation to
the next. Her father was also a trained chef who brought the magic of food to life in another form on
the weekends as they cooked elaborate family meals together. Food prepared from the heart, with
ones own hands and creativity was, and continues to be an expression of love in her home. As an
accomplished cook and baker, Tess enjoys creating original recipes for her family and friends. Sweet,
savory, or doughy, she enjoys experimenting and creating in the kitchen daily.