Naperville Eats: Friends take classes from the pros

Deb Tritt and Emily Levin have taken several cooking classes together and learned to make delicious tarts and pastries. | Judy Buchenot~For The Sun

Updated: March 23, 2013 6:15AM

With their children grown and their careers winding down, Emily Levin and Deb Tritt decided it was time to follow a few dreams.

“We both wanted to take some real baking classes,” says Tritt, a 62-year-old Naperville mother who has three grown children and six grandchildren.

She owned a confectionary business for many years before retiring and had always wanted to step up her baking skills.

“So we signed at the French Pastry School in Chicago,” Tritt says. “We started with bread making, then did tarts, then everything chocolate and then plated French desserts.”

“Making bread was amazing,” says Levin, a 59-year-old retired family law attorney and mother of two daughters. “After retirement, I became a member of a female improvisational group. We are called Lady Ha Ha. But I have always liked cooking and baking too.”

When Tritt, who is her neighbor, suggested the baking classes, Levin agreed to join her friend.

“I have found that people are much happier to see me with a fruit tart rather than a subpoena,” she jokes.

The two women explain that the classes were for enthusiasts but were taught professionally. They were expected to wear chef uniforms from checkered pants to chef’s hats.

“We prefer hands-on classes over cooking demonstrations,” Levin says. “We want to get in there and do it ourselves.

“And the nice thing about these classes is that someone else cleans up after you.”

The women would come home from classes with several loaves of bread, numerous desserts or whatever else they made in class. They graciously shared their bountiful baking with others in the English Rows subdivision where they live.

“We were very popular with the neighbors” Levin says.

Last year, Levin told her husband she would like a birthday gift of classes through the Culinary Institute of America. He granted her wish, and Tritt joined her for the four days of classes on Italian cooking in Napa Valley, Calif.

“We worked very hard and didn’t finish most days until after 10 at night,” Levin says.

The two women learned how to make many wonderful dishes, but Levin adds, “Any fantasy about being a chef is gone. It is hard work.”

Tritt found the classes to be very enlightening.

“There are some things that you need to see and do to understand,” she says. “I almost flunked brioche, but the chef came and helped. I learned the secret, which is that I needed to stop beating at this specific point. It was something I had to see to understand.”

On a trip to France, Levin marveled at the macaroons she saw in bakeries.

“They were like jewels lined up in a show case,” she recalls.

The two friends worked on the delicacy and are now able to make their own amazing macaroons.

“Egg whites are very tricky,” Tritt says. “Learning how to make them is not something that can be read in a book. You have to learn to get the batter smooth with no bumps, get the right shape, and bake them so there is a hard outer shell with a soft inside. There also should be a foot,” she says pointing to a little break at the bottom of the macaroon. The process of making the macaroons can stretch over four days since the egg whites should be aged and each step carefully timed.

Tarts have become a favorite dessert for the women. Tritt makes the dough and filling and freezes it in individual portions so she can make two individual tarts for dinner.

“Once you learn the process, you can make so many different kinds of tarts,” she notes.

The friends share two favorite recipes. One recipe is a simple country-style ragu adapted from the Culinary Institute experience in Napa, and the other is a tart recipe that is a delicious mix of apples and caramel from their pastry classes.

Country-Style Ragu

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped

1 medium onion, minced

2 celery stalks with leaves, diced

2 carrots, diced

1/2 cup dry red wine

1-1/2 cups beef stock

2 cups milk

3 canned plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato past

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound penne pasta

Saute pancetta, onion, celery and carrots in olive oil until onions just begin to caramelize. Add ground meat and gently cook until meat turns brown.

Drain excess fat. Add wine and deglaze pan. Cook until wine has reduced by half, about three minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup stock and let simmer until totally evaporated, about 10 minutes. Repeat with another 1/2 cup stock. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Simmer, partially covered, for one hour. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Mixture will turn a milky color.

Crush tomatoes into pan and add tomato paste. Cook, uncovered, at a slow simmer for 45 minutes or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with freshly cooked pasta. Serve immediately. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese if desired.

Caramel Apple Tart

Sauce

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Crust

1-1/4 cups unbleached flour

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced and chilled

2 large egg yolks

Filling

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

6 large granny smith apples, peeled and slice

For caramel sauce, bring sugar, cream and butter to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves. Boil until the caramel thickens enough to coat a spoon, whisking often for about 10 minutes. This sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to five days.

To make crust, blend flour, powdered sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and blend just until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolks. Pulse until moist clumps form. Do not over mix. Gather dough into a ball and flatten. Wrap and chill at least one hour.

To make filling, whisk sugar, flour and spices in a bowl. Add apples and toss to evenly coat.

To assemble tart, roll out chilled dough on a floured surface to a 13-inch circle. Place in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Cut dough even with edge of tart pan. Press dough tight to the sides of the pan. Drizzle warm caramel sauce into tart, covering the bottom with a thin layer. Arrange apples slices in a circle around the outer edge, fitting snugly. Fill center with remaining apples. Pour a little more caramel sauce over the apples, saving a small amount to serve after baking.

Bake at 375 degrees until apples are tender and lightly browned, about 50 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce drizzled on top.

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