Yesterday I attended a baking class at the Montage Beverly Hills with the “Best Cake Artist in America,” Pastry Chef Richard Ruskell.
Chef Ruskell hosts an intimate baking class on the last Wednesday of every month. It’s an ideal class for people who say “I can’t do desserts” or “I don’t have time to bake.” YES YOU DO!
Yesterday, we learned how to make Ice Box cookies. While sipping hot coffee and tea in the Montage Beverly Hills kitchen, we sat at a granite counter top to watch Chef Ruskell whip up Chocolate Chip cookies and Petit Beurre (a little bit of butter) cookies.
We sampled each and received the recipes to take home and prepare them for our families. The beauty of these cookies is that you can make them, freeze them for up to a month and then take them out to bake for 7-10 minutes. There is no prep time once you have made a batch.
Sure you can buy store-bought cookies in the refrigerator section, slice them and bake. However they do not taste at all like Ruskell’s cookies and have you ever looked at the ingredients on the package of those cookies? Yuck, they are filled with preservatives and chemicals. Ruskell’s Petit Beurre has 5 fresh ingredients: Flour, Almond Flour, Powdered Sugar, Unsalted Butter and Vanilla. THAT’S IT!
Chef Ruskell grew up in Minnesota and studied Theatre Arts. He grew tired of sleeping on the floor on a foam mattress in New York City and went to the French Culinary Institute. He is passionate about baking , because it allows him to display his artistic side.
With his latest win on Food Network’s Last Cake Standing, Ruskell was awarded the $100,000 grand prize ast the Best Cake Artist in America. His cakes are available for the public to purchase for birthday parties, corporate and entertainment events. Ruskell bakes the opening night cake at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood.
His monthly baking classes aren’t a master class, but a fun class to take away the fear of baking and have fun.
Montage Beverly Hills – 225 N. Canon Dr. Call (310)860-7983.
So Cal Mom 