THE PERCH COMMUNITY
French Cooking Class
SWEET CHOUX
Choux is a versatile pastry that can be made sweet or savory. In this three-hour class, we will be making several classic sweet creations: eclairs, chouquettes, and religieuse (with craquelin) with a crème diplomat filling. Each student will learn the fundamentals of choux, from correctly mixing the batter, to piping and filling. You will leave class with your own filled pastries and the knowledge needed to create countless choux pastries at home.
Booze and Botanicals
Boon Plant Bar X Perch: Herbal Cocktails and Herb Care
Join us for a lively night sipping several herbal craft cocktails, snack on lite bites, and explore the many healing benefits of common herbs. Learn how to care for potted herbs and indoor mini gardens, and how to leverage herbs in unexpected ways.
Special parting gift.
$100 per person.
Reservations required.
French Cooking Class
Entrement
One of the most elegant desserts, an entremet is a cake composed of multiple layers, encased in a mousse, enrobed with a glaze, and topped with fine decorations. In this three-hour class, each student will be making a gluten-free entremet with a chocolate mousse and a raspberry center, sitting on an almond dacquoise base, encased in a chocolate ganache glaze. You’ll finish your entremet with decorations of almonds and fruit. You will leave class with your own entremet and the knowledge needed to recreate this dessert at home.
French Cooking Class
FRUIT TARTS
Celebrate spring with colorful and delicious tarts! In this three-hour course, each student will learn how to make two variations of tarts: fruit and frangipane, all encased in a rich buttery pâte sucrèe shell. The fruit tart is filled with a silky crème pâtissière and topped with a colorful seasonal fruit. The frangipane tart has a nutting almond filling with a dollop of raspberry jam topped with almonds and raspberries. Each student will make both tarts, and leave class with their creations — as well as the confidence needed to recreate this dessert at home.
French Cooking Class
TEA TIME
In this three-hour class you will be making three different “Tea Time” sweet treats: lemon madeleines, caramel-filled marquettes, and financiers. Each student will learn the different techniques needed to create these treats, including the proper whipping, folding, and temperature control required for making caramel. We will end class with our own Tea Time, where you will get to try your creations! You will step away from class with your own set of pastries and the knowledge to make many more.
French Cooking Class
MACARONS
Learn to make Parisian macarons from scratch in Boston's South End neighborhood!
Forget what you’ve heard about macarons being impossibly difficult to make. In this three-hour course, we’ll use a very stable Italian meringue recipe and tried-and-true techniques to make your macarons a success. Each student will learn the crucial steps of macaronage, piping, and filling. You will step away with your own set of classic Parisian macarons, filled with a vanilla crème au beurre, as well as the confidence to recreate these recipes at home.
That’s Amore!
Pasta, Sauces, and Wine
Join us for a pasta making demonstration and tasting, sauce pairings, and sipping wines from across Italy. In this demo class, learn to make pasta with just a few basic ingredients. Try your hand at making the dough and hand rolling out the pasta. Pair with your favorite sauce: traditional Marinara, Bolognese, and Pesto Genovese.
$45pp, optional wine $60pp
Reservations required.
French Cooking Class
GÂTEAU AUX FRAISES
Nothing says springtime like strawberries! In this three-hour class, each student will be making the components that come together to make the classic French Fraisier cake: a French sponge cake, a crème mousseline filling, and a strawberry compote. After mastering the techniques of making each layer, you will assemble the cake and top it with sliced strawberries. You will step away with your own Gâteux aux Fraises, as well as the confidence to recreate these recipes at home.
French Cooking Class
PARIS-BREST
Paris-Brest is a classic French pastry made from a ring of choux pastry filled with a rich mousseline crème and topped with sliced almonds and powdered sugar. Created in 1910 by pastry chef Louis Durand to commemorate the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, its circular shape represents a bicycle wheel, with the filling symbolizing the tires. In this three-hour class, each student will learn techniques to properly make and pipe their own elegant choux pastry, create a rich velvety mousseline, and to assemble all of the components.
French Cooking Class
SWEET & SAVORY SOUFFLÉS
Famous for their delicacy and signature oven rise, sweet and savory souffles are a staple of French baking. In this three-hour class, you will master both — and taste your creations, as souffles are best enjoyed fresh! Each student will learn the skills needed to make souffles, including proper preparation of ramekins, cooking the base for both sweet and savory, and timing baking and serving. After mastering these techniques you will be able to adapt what you’ve learned to create a variety of soufflés at home!
French Cooking Class
CROISSANTS FROM SCRATCH
Learn to make two variations of croissants from scratch in Boston's South End neighborhood!
Laminated dough is the foundation of many of the French desserts that we know and love — including croissants. In this three-hour course, we will show you how to make your own laminated dough from scratch and make two variations of croissants in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. Each student will learn the skills needed to prep, knead, roll, and fold laminated dough, as well as how to roll their own croissants. You will leave class with a set of classic croissants and pain au chocolat.
French Cooking Class
MACARONS
Forget what you’ve heard about macarons being impossibly difficult to make. In this three-hour course, we’ll use a very stable Italian meringue recipe and tried-and-true techniques to make your macarons a success. Each student will learn the crucial steps of macaronage, piping, and filling. You will step away with your own set of classic Parisian macarons, filled with a vanilla crème au beurre, as well as the confidence to recreate these recipes at home.
Booze and Botanicals
Boon Plant Bar X Perch: Herbal Cocktails and Herb Care
Join us for a lively night sipping several herbal craft cocktails, snack on lite bites, and explor the many healing benefits of common herbs. Learn how to care for potted herbs and indoor mini gardens, and how to leverage herbs in unexpected ways.
Special parting gift.
$100 per person.
Reservations required.
French Cooking Class
MACARONS
Learn to make Parisian macarons from scratch in Boston's South End neighborhood!
Forget what you’ve heard about macarons being impossibly difficult to make. In this three-hour course, we’ll use a very stable Italian meringue recipe and tried-and-true techniques to make your macarons a success. Each student will learn the crucial steps of macaronage, piping, and filling. You will step away with your own set of classic Parisian macarons, filled with a vanilla crème au beurre, as well as the confidence to recreate these recipes at home.
Sauce Savvy
Beurre Blanc and Beyond
Join us for an intimate evening around the cooktop focused on the techniques of creating classic sauces, including Beurre blanc Hollandaise, and Español.
In this class, our chefs will demonstrate how to recreate these versatile pan sauces at home. Learn how to make herb oil and take some home to enjoy later. Enjoy several small plates and wine pairings.
French Cooking Class
DACQUOISE FRUIT TART
In this three-hour class, you will learn how to make an elegant dessert using a gluten-free dacquoise base rather than the traditional pâte sucrèe. The meringue and nut-based shell brings a richness and a more complex flavor to the recipe. It is filled with a classic crème pâtissière and topped with seasonal glazed fruits. Each student will learn how to properly fold ingredients to make meringue, prepare a traditional crème pâtissière, and decorate an elegant fruit tart. You will leave with your own set or tarts, as well as the confidence to recreate these recipes at home.
French Cooking Class
French Tarts
Brighten your winter days with these colorful and delicious tarts. In this three-hour course, each student will learn how to make two variations of tarts: fruit and lemon, all encased in a rich buttery pâte sucree crust. The fruit tart is filled with a silky crème pâtissière and topped with a colorful seasonal fruit. The lemon tart has a zingy, lemon curd filling topped with various decorations.
Paella, Tapas, Sangria
From Valencia With Love
Paella is a staple Spanish food with regional variations across the country. In this demonstration class, you will learn the history of paella, and tips on how to make this dish at home. Snack on tapas, sip wine or sangria, and enjoy this traditional communal meal, in the spirit of sharing, and celebrating Spain’s vibrant culture.
Paella salt included to take home!
$40 per person, optional wine +$15
Reservations required.
French Cooking Class
Fougasse & Focaccia
What is more inviting than the smell of bread baking on a winter’s day? In this three-hour course, each student will learn how to make two different artisan breads: fougasse, a French bread known for its distinctive leaf shape, and focaccia, a close cousin from Italy. You will leave class with a loaf of each bread that you baked and the knowledge needed to recreate these artisan breads at home.
Sláinte
Luck of the Irish
An evening of traditional, and not so traditional, Irish classics, paired with your favorite beers and Irish wines. Cottage Pie croquettes, curry braised cabbage, and brown bread ice cream.
$55 per person.
Reservations required.
French Cooking Class
Puff Pastry (All Day)
Laminated dough not only includes the French classic croissant but the versatile pâte feuilletée with its many crisp buttery layers. In this all-day class, we will make both the classic version and a quicker version. Each student will learn the skills of how to prepare the détrempe (dough) and the butter block, as well as how to incorporate and fold the two to create layers. You will leave the class with a classic version dough to take home, as well as your very own napoleons and palmiers.
Perch X Roe House
Bubbles and Pearls: Caviar and Champagne
Perch is excited to collaborate with our South End neighbor, Anna of Roe House, for a unique tasting experience! The evening will feature tastings of three different caviars (totaling 1 oz. per person), accompanied with house-made chips, blinis, and crudo prepared by Perch’s very own Chef Sam and Sous Chef Meegan. Enjoy Champagne and sparkling wines, and take home an ounce of caviar with a mother-of-pearl spoon!
$175 per person.
Reservations required.
French Cooking Class
Parisian Macarons
In this three-hour course, we’ll use an Italian meringue recipe and tried-and-true techniques to make your macarons a success. Each student will learn the crucial steps of macaronage, piping, and filling. You will step away with your own set of classic Parisian macarons, filled with a vanilla crème au beurre, as well as the confidence to recreate these recipes at home.
That’s Amore!
Pasta, Sauces, and Wine
Join us for a night of pasta making, sauce pairings, and sipping wines from across Italy. In this hands on class, you will make pasta with just a few basic ingredients, and try your hand using a hand crank pasta machine or rolling the dough over a Chitarra, “guitar” in Italian, a technique originating in the 1800s. Pair with your favorite sauce: traditional Marinara, Ragu Bolognese, and Pesto Genovese.
$40 per person, optional wine +$15
Reservations required.
French Cooking Class
Croissants
In this three-hour course, we will make two variations of croissants. Each student will learn the skills needed to prep, knead, roll, and fold laminated dough, as well as how to roll their own croissants. You will leave class with a set of classic croissants and pain au chocolat.
Paella, Tapas, Sangria
SOLD OUT
From Valencia With Love
Paella is a staple Spanish food with regional variations across the country. In this demonstration class, you will learn the history of paella, and tips on how to make this dish at home. Snack on tapas, sip wine or sangria, and enjoy this traditional communal meal, in the spirit of sharing, and celebrating Spain’s vibrant culture.
Paella salt included to take home!
$40 per person, optional wine +$15
Reservations required.
French Cooking Class
Parisian Macarons
In this three-hour course, we’ll use an Italian meringue recipe and tried-and-true techniques to make your macarons a success. Each student will learn the crucial steps of macaronage, piping, and filling. You will step away with your own set of classic Parisian macarons, filled with a vanilla crème au beurre, as well as the confidence to recreate these recipes at home.
French Pastry Class
Choux For Two
Choux is a versatile pastry that can be made sweet or savory, often seen in the form of profiteroles, eclairs, and filled choux buns. In this three-hour course, we will focus on elegant choux swans with a light chantilly cream filling. Each student will learn the fundamentals of choux, from correctly mixing the batter to piping and filling. You will leave class with your own filled swans and the knowledge needed to create countless choux pastries at home.
Evelyn Schichner
Co-Founder of Joie en Cuisine
Evelyn Schichner has been teaching French cooking and baking classes in Boston for over five years, to rave reviews. She honed her technique at renowned cooking schools in Paris, including L’ecole Ritz-Escoffier. She draws inspiration from Julia Child, who she was fortunate enough to meet in person several times, and to whom her students frequently compare her.
Lilly Milman
Co-Founder of Joie en Cuisine
Lilly Milman has been a baker all her life. Her interest in French baking was sparked when she met Evelyn about four years ago while working as a kitchen assistant at the Cambridge Center of Adult Education — and the two have been inseparable ever since. She has taught dozens of classes on how to make macarons, classic French breads, various patisserie, and more alongside Evelyn. She honed her skills in Paris, in classes at L’ecole Ritz-Escoffier.