Discovering Pastry: A World of Sweetness
* The course is held in English. Please note that the details of this program are subject to change
Aimed at pastry lovers and professional pastry chefs alike, this program is your sugar-dusted entrance into the world of pâtisserie, where the aesthetics of sweetness guide through different Italian regions and creativity becomes an important asset.
This summer, a new course in “Discovering Pastry: A World of Sweetness” opens its curtains and ovens to pâtisserie aficionados! Starting with a historical overview, our Food and Sensory Analysis Labs will invite you to conduct practical experiments to complement theoretical knowledge.
On visits to nearby producers and mills, you will get the chance to see and sample the raw materials, before crafting them into artful confections in the style of classic Piedmontese and Sicilian sweets.
You will get a behind-the-science glance at the molecular mechanisms underlying the changes that occur in food during the different stages of its baking transformation.
Finally, visits to the University’s own educational garden to forage for flowers and herbs will give you the freedom to let your creativity run wild and produce a 100% natural cake.
The five days of Summer School will be ending with activities on food photography to capture the perfect snap of any cake using a simple phone camera!
Immerse yourself in a wonderland of Food Studies at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of the food and wine region of Piedmont and get inspired with new original ideas all about gastronomy.
Acquire new skills with intensive classes and diverse food experiences, in our unique and international community of students, hailing from over 90 different countries.
Founded by Slow Food, the University’s broad and distinctive educational program combines theoretical knowledge and science with culture.
Due to the Coronovirus, all the Summer School courses have been cancelled. We will post the dates for next year’s Summer Schools as soon as possible
Start date: July 20th – 24th, 2020
Language: English
Registration start date: December 20th, 2019
Registration deadline: April 17th, 2020
Cost: 2,500€ – Includes all activities indicated in the program: visits, tastings, lodging for 5 nights, meals and internal transport.
Cost excluding lodging: 2,000€
More information > summerschool@unisg.it
Program
Day 1 – July 20th, 2020
Morning: Welcome speech and tour of the University; Slow Food roots and mission explained.
Introduction of the Summer School and time to get to know each other, followed by the explanation of the “Academic Tables” project and lunch
Afternoon: “Into the sweetness: History and Science of Pastry” with practical experiments conducted at the Food Lab
A team-building exercise in the Sensory Analysis Lab: an experience to discover the sensory characteristics of food and recognize taste and smell sensations
Dinner at the famous Slow Food restaurant Boccondivino, Bra
Day 2 – July 21st, 2020
Morning: Starting from the product: flour mill visit to learn about different types of wheat, antique varietals, quality and different milling techniques (stone milling vs modern methods)
Hazelnut producer visit and tasting of their products to understand the characteristics of this famous and local “tonda gentile” variety.
Lunch in the Langa hills
Afternoon: Learning about Piedmontese pastry: visit to a pastry and chocolate producer to learn about the alluring world of chocolate and to experience a guided tasting of 3 products
Dinner at the Garden Restaurant, Pollenzo
Day 3 – July 22nd, 2020
Morning: Under the microscope: the science behind pastry. What happens when we bake and why? A look at raw materials (flour, sugar, eggs, yeast) and how they react in the kitchen.
Lunch at the Academic Tables
Afternoon: Pastry activity: a study of the products and recipe balancing of short pastry, cream and custard
Dinner at the Verduno Castle Restaurant
Day 4 – July 23rd, 2020
Morning: Lesson on sweets and their traditions: typical Sicilian sweets (Cassata, Cannoli, Marzipan Fruit, Sfince) and their use on traditional occasions
Lunch at the Academic Tables
Afternoon: Practical Pastry workshop in groups: baking with a Sicilian pastry chef and learning to create traditional Sicilian pastries
Dinner at a Michelin star restaurant
Day 5 – July 24th, 2020
Morning: Aesthetics of Sweetness: the connection between pleasure and sweetness
Lunch at the Academic Tables
Afternoon: Foraging for flowers and herbs in the University Garden: a basket of flavour and colour, division into groups to prepare a 100% natural cake using your creativity! Presentation of the cakes by each group
A crash course in food photography: how to take the perfect snap of your cake using a simple phone camera!
Teatime closure and awarding of certificates