A Pastry Affair
Join us at our little country chateau, in the heart of wine country, where we will unlock the secrets of French pastry! Guided by a French trained pastry chef, you will learn step by step how to make french favorites. Starting with learning about the …
Discover our delicious tailor-made pastry creations to make your events even more special. At My Secret Confections, we offer you a wide range of celebration cakes, wedding cakes, tarts, cupcakes, cakepops, puffs and much more. For all your special occasions, our celebration cakes will dazzle …
Searching for a quiet, country vacation? Look no further! The Fig Tree Cottage is nestled in a hamlet near the medieval town of Loudun, a perfect Loire Valley escape. Visit the nearby historical cities of Chinon, Saumur, Thouars and Poitiers; the numerous vineyards or enjoy …
Coucou Café: A Cozy Brunch Corner in Chinon Nestled in the heart of Chinon, Coucou Café is more than just a place to grab a quick bite or coffee. It’s a space where locals and tourists alike can gather, unwind, and enjoy the simple pleasures …
We’re neck deep in renovations and have been for almost 2 years now, I figured I would share some of the behind the scenes and the transformation that the cottage has undergone to become the vacation rental of your dreams. When we first looked for …
After months (or more like years 😅) of preparation, the time has finally come. For those of you dreaming about French pastry and cuisine, but have not had the opportunity to experience it first hand, I am bringing it to you. Our virtual pastry class …
I’ve been feeling quite nostalgic of the late. I miss being able to just run down to the doughnut shop and grab a couple doughnuts without having to take out a loan *insert laugh* Times are changing, so at least I do have the option …
Cherry season is here! Every year I hesitate buying cherries because I personally prefer strawberries or raspberries. Then every year I’m reminded that I actually love cherries, maybe even more than strawberries. For those of you who know me and my journey, cake is actually …
A while back, I shared my favorite doughnut recipe with you all – Salted Caramel Brioche Doughnuts. They are sooo good! Honestly, it’s the best combination ever! However, that salted caramel is quite sweet so for someone like me, one doughnut is enough. To switch …
If you’re like 90% of the population who started making sourdough bread during the confinement, you may be looking for ways to use that sourdough discard. For those of you who are familiar with sourdough starters, you know how hungry they can get. Normally, I …
You asked and I’m answering! A couple weeks ago, I asked if there was anything that you all wanted to see more of. The most common request was more fresh fruit based desserts, now that we’re going into the warmer seasons. So this easy raspberry …
It’s been 8 years since I went through the growing pains of cooking abroad, that I had almost forgotten about it. It had been brought to my attention my a fellow expat (Hi Emma!) that it was difficult to find some of the ingredients in …
When it comes to nuts, I’m an almond girl through and through. Roasted, almond cream, almond croissants. If there’s almond’s in it, I’ve most likely had my fill! These almond cream turnovers are a tasty twist on Chaussons aux pommes and I’d have to admit, …
When I bake, either we give away most of it or Mr. Hubby takes it to work to share with his colleagues. In the last couple months, since we’ve been in confinement, we’ve been eating way too many desserts! So I was looking for ways …
Praliné, not to be confused with American pralines, first made it’s appearance in pastry history in the mid to late 1600’s. It has since become a paramount ingredient in French pastry. You can easily buy praliné at any major pastry supply store in France. Most …
The more often I cook, the more comfortable I am getting to creating my own recipes. I remember when I first started working on recipes, it would take be ages to get it right…What I have realized is that I was actually just over thinking …
To be honest, growing up we didn’t eat a lot of salads. It may be because we didn’t really know how to make a good salad. The french however know how to make a good salad. Perhaps that’s how they stay so thin…. Originating from …
It’s kind of funny that I decided to become a pastry chef because I don’t really care for sweets. I love making them, but eating…meh. However, when I eat breakfast (once in a blue moon) I sure do enjoy brioche french toast. Especially if there’s …
Once you make homemade hamburger buns, you will never be able to go back to store bought buns. Store bought buns have close to no flavor and are so dry! These buns are made using the Le Cordon Bleu brioche recipe, which trust me, is …
Growing up, doughnuts played a large part in my life. In Eastern Washington, there’s a little mom & pop shop that has been open since the 50’s. Anyone who lives in the Tri-Cites knows The Spudnut. When you first walk in, there’s the open kitchen …
First off, I want to thank all of you who tuned in to my very first LIVE bake-along. It was such a great experience and I had a blast teaching all of you the secrets behind quick puff pastry! I really hope you enjoyed the …
In the USA, you may stumble upon what is dubbed crêpes. In reality, they resemble more a thinner than usual pancake, onto which sugar in all of it’s forms are piled than a real crêpe. I believe that even Ihop has “crêpes” on their menu, …
Every year, I am thrilled when I see the first strawberries at the market. They are my by far my favorite berry. In smoothies, on cakes or tarts, even in salad! If you look at my favorite french desserts, the majority are either strawberry or …
This last week has been so nice weather-wise. The trees are getting greener, we can finally go outside again without coats and my birks made their 2020 debut! We are still in confinement, so I’ve been puttering around the house finally working through those to-do …
Welcome to my very first choux pastry post! I don’t know why I haven’t gotten around to writing one before. It is one of the most versatile dough in French pastry. Someone somewhere, I can’t remember where, called it the Madonna of dough and it …
One of the lesser known french pastries, pains aux raisins are to be honest one of my favorite viennoiseries. Also known as escargot, due to the form or brioche aux raisins in the south of France. Pains aux raisins consist of a thin sheet of …
There are sooo many recipes out there for banana bread. When I started messing around with this recipe, I knew I wanted to have a moist bread with a nice banana bread that wasn’t muddled by other spices. I always have fruit around the house, …
Steak & Ale Stew, aka a warm hug in a bowl. Every single time that I go to the UK or Ireland, this is my go to order. Yeah, I know that they make pretty good fish & chips, but it’s not really my thing. …
Apple Tart, or tarte aux pommes, is one of the most popular french tarts. It’s up there with lemon meringue tart and just as easy to put together. This apple tart is one of my favorites and a much lighter version than it’s American counterpart. …
Do you ever find yourself in a cooking rut? Like, you find yourself making the same five recipes over and over? I know I do. I think that’s why I love going on vacation. It gives me a change of getting off of the hamster …
It’s about a month and a half until exam sessions are scheduled to start. That is, if there are no changes due to the epidemic sweeping across the world. France went into lock down the day after my CAP Blanc. So I’m glad I was …
My worst nightmare is becoming gluten intolerant because I love bread. And pasta. And…well anything made out of flour. If dinner was a baguette and some left over cheese, you will get no complaint from me. Seriously. You have no idea how many slices of …
When I was a kid, my grandma loved to take us to Shari’s Cafe & Pie. I remember being fascinated by the pie display case. You know the ones that were lit up and rotated, showing off all of their options. So why exactly am …
When I think of French pastries, the first thing that pops into my mind is croissants, but did you actually know that croissants weren’t invented in France? Croissants as we know them today, can be found from the 1840’s in Vienna, but of course they’ve …
Flan. Being American, the only type of flan that I ever came across before moving to France was Mexican flan. You know the jiggly, yellow stuff with the caramel (I think) on the top, sitting in its own liquids… Bleck. To be honest, I am …
As a pastry student, crème pâtissière or pastry cream is one of the most important elements that you learn. It is the base of so many different recipes! You’ll need it for a lot of tarts, cream fillings for eclairs, crème mousseline, for fraisiers, etc …
Who loves Thai food? I know we definitely do. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. This recipe is not your traditional Thai Red Curry. If you go to a Thai restaurant, you’ll get a more traditional version. But hey, I am not …
My first memory of sourdough bread was a Sourdough Jack at Jack-in-the-Box. As a kid, I found the sourness of the bread distasteful. Recently, I found myself intrigued by the abundance of sourdough loaves popping up on my Instagram feed and wanted to find out …
Chaussons aux Pommes are the french equivalent of apple turnovers. Personally, I feel that they tend to be under appreciated. When made right, they can be delightfully tasty and a great alternative to croissants or pains aux chocolats. For those just jumping into making puff …
It’s been a little less than a month since my last CAP practice exam, but I wanted to give it another shot and try to improve on those couple things that I had issues with last time. Just as last time, I asked the hubby …
Last Friday, I got an email confirming my registration for the CAP Pâtissier exam. Part of me was thrilled they didn’t need any additional documents for my enrollment. However the other part of me started to stress like crazy. They provided us with the exam …
For many people in France, there is often quite a bit of confusion when they see this (as well as any other type of quick breads) labeled as bread. In french, quick breads are labeled as “cake”. Yes, they stole the word cake from us, …
Oof, what a day. Yesterday I did my first CAP blanc practice exam at home. Isn’t that what you do on a daily basis, you may ask. Nope. I study. Generally one recipe per day. For the practice exam, I tried my best to recreate …
Show of hands, who loves caramel? Okay, so let me tell you a funny story. When I was a kid, I hated caramel. I saw nothing appealing about that overly sugar candy that got stuck in my teeth or the drizzle that was often mixing …
Hello everyone! Yesterday, I spent my day studying pastry theory, as I was completely out of butter, eggs and various other ingredients. Quelle horreur! Our grocery delivery arrived in the evening, eating away at the meager hours of sunlight we do have. This meant that …
Hey everyone! It’s been a minute hasn’t it? How was everyone’s holiday season? My little sister flew in from Slovenia where she’s going to school and it being her first Christmas in France, we played tourist and hit up all of the good spots. Paris …
What say’s “holiday season” more than gingerbread cookies? As I write this, I’m still in absolute shock that Christmas is already over. How is it possible that 2019 is coming to a close? Does anyone feel like time is just flying by or is it …
Before starting my adventure on making a homemade chai concentrate, my first encounter with Chai was at Starbucks and I instantly fell in love. It honestly tasted like Christmas in a cup and became my go-to order at any coffee shop. Not long after, I …
To be honest, my relationship with fresh homemade pasta is quite a young one. Much to Mr. Hubbys’ delight, my dad taught me how to make pasta when we were visiting them in Mérida last year and it turns out, homemade pasta is easy, delicious …
Snickerdoodles. Those delicate sugar cookies that are rolled in cinnamon sugar. The recipe that generally stays in the back of our recipe files until the holidays roll around & then graces our tables at every gathering… Honestly, I have a hard time around the holiday …
Hello my lovelies! It’s been a moment since I’ve posted and not because I didn’t want to. This last month has been quite hectic! Mr. Hubby’s birthday was at the beginning of the month, so I was studying-up on how to make his birthday cake …
Looking for a fall salad, full of flavor? This salad has become a staple in our home. It is easy to throw together and tastes like Thanksgiving in a plate. I’m not even kidding, I generally make this at least twice a month, it is …
“Hello there & welcome to my kitchen! It’s such a pleasure to meet you. Thank you SO much for stopping by. I’m Natalya – wife, mother, fur-mom, long-time admirer of Julia Child, hard-core francophile & coffee lover. To learn more about me, click here!”
