Miniature French Desserts: Macarons, Madeleines & More (DVD + Streaming)

Join certified executive pastry chef and popular Craftsy instructor Colette Christian as she demystifies iconic bite-sized French desserts. Starting with buttery madeleines, learn how to make these classic mini-cakes with their perfectly crisp edges and tender crumb. Next, make tartlets with a tangy lemon curd filling, from-scratch crust and quick Italian meringue topping. Then, master macarons, infuse them with flavors such as lavender and create decadent fillings, including buttercream and salted caramel. For the grand finale, make a scene-stealing Opera cake! Create airy sponge cake and dip each piece into a coffee simple syrup before adding layer upon layer of buttercream and chocolate ganache for a cake that’s certainly ready for its close-up – and maybe a bite or three.

NOTE: If you’d like to purchase only the DVD for this class, you may do so through this link. (Please note, any class PDF materials are not on the DVD itself. You must have streaming access to download those materials associated with the class.)

Madeleines (17:55)
Meet your instructor, pastry chef Colette Christian, as she previews the four iconic French desserts you’ll make in this class: madeleines, tartlets, macarons and the impressive Opera cake. Then get baking by making mocha-flavored madeleines using the ribbon method, which helps tell you when you’ve achieved the perfect texture for your whipped eggs and sugar. Colette shows you how to pipe the batter into the madeleine pan and how to tell when your madeleines are done.

Citrus Madeleines (27:58)
Discover an alternative method for making citrus madeleines — the creaming method — where you blend sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Then discover why sifting your dry ingredients is so important and make a simple-yet-traditional lemon glaze for the tops of your cakes.

Lemon Tartlets (39:34)
Create the perfect combination of sweet and tart with the next dessert, a lemon meringue tartlet. Make delicious, silky-smooth lemon curd (without having to use a double boiler), then make a classic hand-blended pie dough known as pâte brisée. Pick up tips for rolling, cutting and baking the tartlet crusts and then see just how quickly you can whip up an Italian meringue to go on top. Finally, use a blowtorch to toast the meringue topping, giving your tartlets a show-stopping appearance!

Basic French Macaron (35:47)
Master the quintessential French sweet, the macaron. Find out how to prepare your ingredients, whip egg whites to the perfect peak and discover what gives macarons their signature color. Learn the proper technique for macaronage — the process of removing excess air from your batter — and how to pipe your macarons and know when they’re done baking. Guests will think you had these little cookies flown in from Paris!

Customizing & Filling Macarons (34:49)
Colette will show you how to infuse your macarons with even more flavor and then how to make three luscious fillings: buttercream, ganache and even salted caramel. Learn techniques for mixing a delicious frosting, melting chocolate and cooking caramel to buttery perfection.

Classic Opera Cake (26:35)
Build on several of the techniques you’ve already learned as you make the famous chocolate-and-coffee Opera cake, “a cake in six acts.” Bake an airy sponge cake with whipped egg whites and almond flour, make a rich French buttercream and spreadable chocolate ganache to fill the cake and, finally, prepare a coffee simple syrup to soak the cake layers.

Assembling the Opera Cake (33:07)
It’s time to raise the curtain on your Opera cake! Discover how this cake comes together, rich layer after rich layer, as you cut your sponge cake into symmetrical layers and soak them in the intense coffee simple syrup. Learn how to pipe and spread the fillings — coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache — over your cake layers, top the cake with a chocolate glaze and then send your cake over the top with decorative piping and gold leaf!

Colette Christian
Colette Christian began working in restaurants at age 14 and went on to graduate from the New England Culinary Institute. In 2004 she began teaching at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California, and now offers classes at the Art Institute of Hollywood, Sur La Table and the Great News Cooking School in San Diego. She has extensive training in baking and pastry and is a certified executive pastry chef as well as a certified executive chef through the American Culinary Federation.

How will I receive my DVD class?
Your DVD will be shipped in the mail using the address you provide at checkout. Your purchase also includes access to a streaming version of the class and downloadable PDF class materials. After your purchase, you can find your streaming class and your PDF class materials by logging into your Craftsy account using the user name and password you established.

How do I access the companion materials for my DVD class?
Come to Craftsy.com and log into your account using the username and password you set up when establishing your Craftsy account or purchasing your DVD. In your “My Account” area, select the “Classes” content. On this page, you’ll see all classes you’ve purchased from Craftsy. Simply select the desired class from your content list, and you’ll be presented with your selected class page. From the class page you can easily view, download or print the companion class materials, which are in the “Bonus Materials” tab on the class page. You can log in any time, and download or print the companion materials as many times as you like. Companion class materials are not shipped in the mail with your DVD, and must be accessed on Craftsy.com.

How do I stream my class on Craftsy.com?
Come to Craftsy.com and log into your account using the username and password you set up when establishing your Craftsy account or purchasing your DVD. In your “My Account” content, select the desired class. Stream the video on-demand from the class page any time you like; your viewing access is unlimited. You can stream your class from any computer, tablet or mobile device with Internet access.

Do I have to purchase a Craftsy Membership to get my class?
No, you do not. Every DVD purchased on Craftsy.com includes both the physical DVD in the mail and unlimited on-demand streaming access at Craftsy.com. These benefits are yours with or without a Craftsy membership.

Are DVDs included in a Craftsy Membership?
No, they are not. DVDs can only be purchased on an individual basis and are not included in Craftsy memberships. For non-members, DVDs are a flexible way to purchase only the classes you love best. For members, DVDs are a great choice to build an at-home library you can keep forever and enjoy any time, with or without Internet access.

Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we do ship most physical products, including DVDs, to several International destinations. In addition to the USA and Canada, we ship to Australia, Brazil, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and most Western European countries. If you live outside these countries, you can still purchase digital items including memberships, individual streaming classes, and pattern downloads.

Do your DVDs work on international players?
Yes, our DVDs should be compatible with any DVD player in use today. All our videos have been created with all current Region Codes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8). If you have trouble viewing a DVD purchased from Craftsy.com, please contact Customer Service.

What is your return policy?
We want to be sure you’re satisfied. If you have trouble playing your DVD, if the content is not correctly presented on the DVD, or you are dissatisfied with the content of your class, we will work with you. Contact Craftsy customer service via email or phone. Upon your request, and upon your return of the DVD to us, we will refund your purchase price or send you another DVD to replace a damaged or incorrect DVD, whichever is your preference. If you do receive a full refund, your streaming video class will also be removed from your Craftsy account, so on-demand video access will no longer be available to you.