Learn to bake online with a French chef

This online cooking class run from Uzès in the south of France is a great travel alternative, Brigitte discovers

Cook’n With Class Uzès has ventured into the world of online classes. Relaxed and cheerful Chef Eric Fraudeau shares sweet and savoury recipes and his years of expertise with amateur chefs and bakers across the world from his kitchen in southern France.

Through a zoom connection on my laptop, I joined the two-day Les Petits Gâteaux class. It was a fun and absorbing experience that gave much-needed novelty and French flair to my weekend in a year where travel is so restricted.

As I was joining from the UK, each two-and-a-half-hour class began at 7pm while those connecting from across the Atlantic were at the beginning of their day.

Together we made seven recipes including madeleines, croquant aux amandes and a gluten-free corn cake with chocolate ganache which proved to be a winner among those who helped me work through the collection of cakes and biscuits afterwards.

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This group class is perfect for those who already have a bit of experience in home baking and want to add some French recipes to their repertoire. Instructions are clear and easy to follow, but there is a significant ingredients and equipment list that would prevent you from doing the class on a whim. It is possible to make substitutions and adjustments, if you don’t have the exact shaped tin for example, however with the tight schedule of bakes you do need to have multiples of whatever types of bowls and baking trays you use.

For an online class there was a great sense of camaraderie and plenty of opportunities to ask questions and show our finished goods to each other. A few of the participants were returning students who got a friendly welcome back from the hosts.

With recipe booklets and a recording of the class offered to keep afterwards, it is easy to make the cakes over and again after the course is done. I myself will be pulling out my rolling pin and warming up the oven again this weekend to make the shortbread cookies and financiers for a friend’s birthday.

Chef Eric also offers private online lessons from €43.00 per person, where he can talk you through making a two-course meal of your choice. Other online group sessions include a French Bistro class for dishes such as Steak Tartar and Blanquette de Poisson, or a class on how to make perfect homemade bread. Visit cooking-classes-uzes.com for more information or take at look at the online calendar of classes.

Look out for more about Brigitte’s experience in the February issue of France Magazine.

There are still spaces available for the next Les Petits Gâteaux class –17 & 18 October from €50 per person. If you are interested you can book here.