Bake like a vegan pro

Graduates of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive — The desserts you will make and taste are remarkable… The friendships formed are priceless.

The Winter Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive^® will take place from February 24th to February 28th. so if you are want to begin making vegan desserts, or to take the desserts you already make to the next level, I encourage you to register now, as the group is strictly limited to 15 for maximum learning,

Students learning at the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive — Pie dough tech.

I developed the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive® to address the inconsistencies in vegan dessert recipes and general lack of resources.

My work as a pastry chef in traditional “butter, sugar, egg” pastry kitchens, as well as vegan ones too (including the iconic Angelica Kitchen), has given me a unique perspective. To date, there is no fully vegan dessert certificate course in the world, or so say internet searches and my students who’ve come from around the globe: Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, India, South America, Canada, and from across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The diversity of the students and their backgrounds, from absolute beginners to working professionals and all levels in between, contributes to a great learning experience. Some attendees are vegan and many are not. Everyone is welcome.

Luscious Lemon Tart at the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive — Lemon Tart, luscious and gluten free.

I credit my having learned foundational pastry technique in the professional program at New York Restaurant School for my success in developing reliable recipes for modern vegan desserts that are at least as good as, and more often better than the best conventional desserts. I also took what I learned about quality whole foods during my training at the Natural Gourmet Institute, into the test kitchen. Twenty-two years ago, there were no reliable charts or accurate information in the few vegan dessert books.

I was determined to change that. Following is just some of what we learn and test in Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive^®

Liquid sweeteners and granualted sweaters are not 1:1 interchangable in recipes!
- I spent years learning about the properties of natural sweeteners. Aside from the obvious difference between granulated and liquid sweeteners, all are different.
How do you replace gelatin with agar?
- There is a formula, but agar is a natural food and the strength of the agar may be variable batch to batch.
- Which type of agar and how do you make sure it dissolves anyway?
What are the differences between the types of cocoa powder and chocolates, and what is fair-trade?

My passion for the successful adaptation of traditional recipes to vegan versions is as deep today as it was when almost twenty-five years ago, I left the pro pastry kitchens for the teaching kitchen. “VBBCBI” gives me the opportunity to share what I have learned and continue to love. And I continue to learn from the students who come. And, how thrilling to know that there are vegan bakeries being opened throughout the world, that parent’s have recipes for their children’s parties, and that tradional chefs are adding vegan desserts to their menus. I never get tired of having to defend: Oh yes, the dessert that has you swooning is definitely vegan! Just look at the final presentation table from the Summer 2015 grads.

Finished desserts at the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive — Cake day

What is the Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive^®?

For starters, there is nothing else in world like this 5 day course, which is currently offered at most twice a year. I teach every class and am sometimes joined by a special guest: a working professional.

The first session is a lecture demo. The following 4 days (2 classes a day) are hands-on. Plating of desserts is practiced daily and the presentation table is always awe-inspiring.
You will learn to make desserts without any dairy, eggs, refined sugar, or odd ingredients and will be using quality organic, seasonal ingredients such as whole grain flours, organic fair-traded sweeteners (both liquid and granulated), chocolate and cocoa, vegan gelatin (agar-agar), root starches and gums, plant milks, fats, sulfite-free dried fruits, pure extracts, leavening agents and much more.
You will learn about foundational pastry technique and ingredients specific to vegan baking. Yes, your cakes will rise without eggs or commercial egg-replacers, and no, vegan margarine is not needed.
All recipes are vegan, some are gluten-free and some are raw. We cover creams and gels, cookies, quick breads and muffins, pies and tarts and cakes. Each day is designed around particular category of dessert. The course is adjusted to the season, so you will find more berries in summer, and more pumpkins and apples, pears in the winter, but all the classics are taught.

Vanilla Fruit Cake at the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive — Chocolate Cream pipes and there’s no margarine!

A certificate of completion will be issued to those students attending the full 5 days. My two cookbooks are included in the class fee. Visit: http://www.naturalgourmetinstitute.com/class/12964/ to register.