French Pastry Fundamentals
Let’s learn the way pastry is taught to chefs in France: one component at a time. Get comfortable making each part, and become someone who can dream up a dessert without needing a cookbook recipe for the whole thing.
This course breaks French pastry down into components: doughs, creams, meringues, fruit fillings, and more. Learn what each one does and how to make it well, then put the parts together into more elaborate desserts when you’re ready. It’s less stressful than trying to learn everything at once. More than that, it’s a pragmatic, powerful way to become a real pastry person: someone who can make choices, solve problems, and create desserts of their own.
Each component comes with effortless ways to turn it into something you can share while you’re learning. Fill a batch of choux with storebought whipped cream and bring it to dinner. Put fresh fruit on a meringue and take it to a picnic.
In this course, you’ll get videos, close-up photos, and the kind of detail that makes remembering and repeating it so much clearer.
Soon, the pastries in a bakery window will look different. You’ll recognize the parts, notice the choices the chef made, and start thinking about what you’d make. Maybe it’s a classic you love. Maybe it’s a dessert built around a flavor that reminds you of something or someone. Either way, you’ll know how to begin, and you’ll definitely end up blowing your friends’ minds.
Sample components
Your pastry toolkit
Doughs, biscuits, and crunchy layers
Pâte sucrée, pâte brisée, pâte à choux, pâte feuilletée, biscuit à la cuillère, biscuit Joconde, dacquoise, and génoise.
Meringues
French, Italian, and Swiss, and when to use each one.
Creams and fillings
Crème pâtissière, crème diplomate, crème mousseline, ganache montée, mascarpone chantilly, crème anglaise and crémeux, mousse/bavaroise, lemon cream, and crème d’amande.
Fruit preparations
Compotées, confits, and fruit inserts that bring flavor, texture, and color to a dessert.
Finishing touches
Fondant and glazes, from glossy chocolate to clear and colorful finishes.
I’m Emily Reese. I earned my CAP Pâtissier in Paris, trained in the kitchens at Stohrer, and have done advanced training at Bellouet Conseil. I also have degrees in the arts and am drawn to pastry as a craft with history and culture.
I still live in Paris and take French pastry seriously. I also think learning it should be a pleasure! More about me
Your instructor
Pre-enroll for €89 and save €60 on the regular €149 price. We’ll email you when the course opens.
How it works
The course is open for pre-enrollment and will go live here in January, 2027. It will contain pre-recorded videos, close-up photos, and written lessons. Learn at your own pace: no live sessions to fit into your schedule! You can always book an optional one-on-one Zoom call with Emily to talk through the material.
When the course opens, you’ll also be invited to share what you make, see what other students do with the same components, and swap ideas as we go. Participation is optional. We totally respect lurking and baking in peace.
Pay once and keep access to the lessons forever!
Want to learn together in Paris? I also offer in-person pastry workshops. See the workshops