Cooking made simple: Classes at the Baker’s Pin demystify the secrets and tricks of great recipes

By NAOMI SCULLY-BRISTOL
For the Advocate

Walking into the Baker’s Pin, you are greeted by cheerful decor, beautiful colorful pots and an array of cooking gadgets. It is a home cook’s paradise with everything you could possibly need, from Le Creuset pots to artisan olive oil to high quality knives. On the right side of the store is their cooking school, where expert instructors teach students the tricks of the trade. They offer regular cooking classes, both in-person or on Zoom, once or twice a week, with an array of themes.

“It’s community building,” said Lisa Grecco, the store’s owner. “We all love to cook, and people who do love to cook love to share ideas.”

On the evening of Dec. 3, I walked into the Baker’s Pin for their “Fabulous Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen” class, hoping to learn to make holiday treats to bring to parties or to give as gifts. The cooking school area was decked out with Christmas garlands and the food we were going to learn to make was already on display. There was a friendly mood around the kitchen, with the two instructors, Barbara Morse and Betty Rosbottom, doing last minute prep work with their assistants, and participants greeting one another and meeting new people.

Students trickled into the store, and it became apparent that I was likely the only participant under 45 years old. Many of the attendees came with friends, to learn new skills or just have a fun night. Jennifer Jacobson came with her husband as a “holiday date.” She said she enjoys cooking, and has taken a few Baker’s Pin classes before, as well as courses at other cooking schools in the area. “It’s fun to have these tremendous opportunities in such a small town,” she told me.

The class began with Morse and Rosbottom greeting Zoom attendees, including some from as far away as Hawaii and British Columbia. The two women have a following of old friends and students who consistently Zoom into these classes, despite living across the country.

Rosbottom is the author of 12 cookbooks, a longtime food writer, and was the host of the PBS cooking show “On the Menu” from 2006 to 2009. Morse runs a baking business, Cocoa Beans, and is a recipe developer and cookbook author. They originally met 22 years ago, teaching at The Silo cooking school in Connecticut.

The class felt like walking into a televised holiday cooking special. Rosbottom and Morse have the easy chemistry of two people who have known each other for decades. They also benefited from the “TV magic” of having all the ingredients pre-chopped and measured, ready to be thrown into the mixing bowl.

In the two-hour class, they taught 13 students to make savory and sweet holiday dishes like English Cheddar and Rosemary Crisps, Provencal Palmiers and Caramel-Glazed Mini-Banana and Pecan Loaves.

Gifts from the Kitchen was a demonstration class, so Morse and Rosbottom gave instruction while making the recipes in real time. Despite not getting our hands dirty, attendees learned all the little tricks for each recipe, and we were able to ask specific questions on substitutions or technique.

One of the best tips was on making a caramel sauce for the Mini Banana and Pecan Loaves. Caramel is just sugar and water, so how hard can it be? Take it from someone who has tried to make caramel before and burned it so badly that I almost ruined a perfectly good pot: it is more challenging than you might think.

I was amazed by Rosbottom’s deft hand and how easy she made it look, instructing us on all the tricks for making the deceptive sauce. Patience is essential, and while waiting for the caramel to brown, Rosbottom said to resist the impulse to stir — but pay close attention, and don’t leave the room.

“If you are on the phone, now is the time to hang up,” she said as her caramel began to brown. “So what’s your phone number?” asked another student, which sent the class into laughter.

With other recipes, like the Walnut and Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies or the Winter Fruit Chutney, the class gave attendees the opportunity to learn about recipe development and how different flavors work together.

As someone who is a visual learner, I found it helpful to watch the experts at work. I was able to see what different consistencies should look like, and the techniques for doing things I’ve never done before, like folding nuts into a meringue.

A highlight of the course was getting to try the amazing food Morse and Rosbottom made. Every single dish was packed with flavor, but two personal favorites of mine were Morse’s Best-Ever Granola and Rosbottom’s recipe for Angelina’s Hot Chocolate.

You might be thinking, “how exceptional could granola really be?” This one from Morse was noteworthy and might actually deserve its title of “Best-Ever.” The simple recipe of oats, coconut flakes, walnuts and almonds quickly came together into the best granola I’ve ever had, made even more impressive by the simplicity of it all.

Rosbottom’s hot chocolate, a replication of the famous hot chocolate served at Angelina’s in Paris, lives up to the hype. It is so rich, thick, and chocolate-y that it is reminiscent of pudding. A simple recipe of cream, milk, sugar and dark chocolate, Rosbottom realized after many attempts that, unlike the caramel, the key is to continue stirring it for almost 10 minutes.

The two chefs made all of the recipes look so simple and entirely achievable in your home kitchen.

The only part that may not be achievable in your home kitchen: someone else to do the dishes.

For more information on the Baker’s Pin cooking classes, visit thebakerspin.com.

Naomi Scully-Bristol is a senior at Smith College and an intern at the Daily Hampshire Gazette.