CUL 136 - Foundations of Classical and Contemporary Pastry

Credits: 3
Lecture Contact Hours: 1
Lab Contact Hours: 5
Description: This course will teach students the necessary procedures and principles in the art of creating and producing classical pastries and present them in lighter and more contemporary formats. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will understand basic baking and pastry terminology, use of measuring equipment and equivalents and conversions; properly use hand tools and machinery; use various types of ovens; understand dietetic and nutritional preparations and concepts as it relates to pastry; and understand health, safety and sanitation of work areas. Various pies, puddings, pastries, cakes and tortes will be covered. This course also will cover the more intricate methods of producing fine pastries, mousses, cakes, tortes, ice cream desserts and chocolate work. Practical applications will be exercised by producing products for the American Harvest Restaurant and Main Street Café.

Prerequisites: CUL 102 or current ServSafe certification. CUL 103
Corequisites: CUL 135 CUL 145
Recommended: None

Course Category: Occupational
This Course is Typically Offered: Fall, Winter
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Students who already have this knowledge may qualify for prior learning credits. https://www.schoolcraft.edu/student-records/prior-learning-credits.

Course Competencies
1. Utilize basic pastry terminology, formulas and abbreviations, as well as basic technical information on bakery and pastry science.

2. Demonstrate proper pastry kitchen sanitation procedures.

3. Organize a work station to produce pastry items in a sanitary, productive fashion representative of contemporary methods of preparation.

4. Perform basic bakery mathematics.

5. Demonstrate the proper storage and process of fresh fruit.

6. Demonstrate the proper use of large pieces of pastry machinery, as well as proper use of various hand tools.

7. Demonstrate knife skills as it relates to fruit fabrication and portioning of pastry.

8. Prepare various French pastry, doughs and crusts: laminated doughs, pie dough, pâte à choux, puff pastry, crumb crusts. 9. Prepare various custards: crème brûlée, crème caramel, pastry cream, bread pudding.

10. Produce various pies and tarts: baked, unbaked, cream and fruit fillings, frangipane cream filling.

11. Produce various sponge: chiffon batter, jaconde sponge, jaconde sponge using stencil technique.

12. Produce various cheese cakes and entremets: contemporary Charlotte Russe and Bavarian Creams.

13. Explain different methods of producing cakes and entremets.

14. Execute the correct procedures for cooking sugar syrups and caramelizing sugar.

15. Demonstrate various pastry decorating techniques.

16. Demonstrate the development of plated desserts.

17. Explain chocolate handling techniques and tempering procedures.

18. Demonstrate different methods of preparing mousses and creams.

19. Produce various meringues.