Dessert Classes at Montage Take the Cake

“You can find the time, and you can bake delicious cookies—lots of them.”

So says executive pastry chef Richard Ruskell of . Earlier this month he was named “Best Cake Artist in America” in the finale of Food Network’s Last Cake Standing. A duplication of his winning wedding cake is on display in the hotel lobby.

With his contagious can-do attitude, Ruskell cooked up a series of classes called “Yes You Can Desserts.” The classes are set for the last Wednesday of each month through the end of the year. Held in the kitchen of the hotel’s restaurant, Scarpetta, the up close and personal demonstrations for 20 students include “Buttercream: Be Not Afraid!” on July 27 and “Farmers’ Market Fruits” on Aug. 31.

“It’s not as hard as it looks,” Ruskell said at a recent demo about baking his icebox cookies.

The beauty of making a batch of his Petit Beurre or chocolate chip cookies is that one can stash the dough in the icebox (aka the freezer), take out a chunk and bake some when a cookie craving hits. With essentially all of the ingredients available at a Ralphs or , the recipes reflect Ruskell’s “effort to reintroduce approachability to baking.” He is confident that his students will “always walk out of my classes saying ‘I can do that!’ ”

During his demos, the chef offers tidbits of culinary advice:

• Be consistent with what you buy. Once you find a brand of flour you like, stick with it.
• Never use jumbo eggs. When a recipe calls for an egg, crack one that’s labeled large. Brown or white? No worries. It doesn’t make a difference.
• Need to get the eggs straight from the refrigerator down to room temperature? Immerse them in warm water.

What makes these classes especially nice for Beverly Hills residents? The calories you intake from your creations can be offset by a bike ride or a walk to the hotel. (Director of Sales and Marketing Charles Black notes that Montage has an incentive program for employees who cycle to work—biking is encouraged). There are bike racks located on the first floor of the hotel's main parking structure.

To reserve your sweet spot in one of Ruskell’s upcoming classes, call 310- 860-7940. Classes are held from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at a cost of $50 per person.

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