DIY

5 food classes to take so you can be the star of your next holiday party

Are these ornaments or cupcakes? They are cupcakes, and you can learn to make them
Are these ornaments or cupcakes? They are cupcakes, and you can learn to make them

We’re neck deep in holiday party season, and you’re out there stressing about what you might be able to make to impress your in-laws or your parents or your judgmental friends. Never fear! We took a look around our CourseHorse offerings and found a whole bunch of cooking and alcohol classes that’ll turn you into the hit of your holiday party. It’s a real win/win here: You become an excellent baker or wine expert, we keep the lights on here when you book a class through us.

We know, “Ugh cupcakes we’re all sick of cupcakes we hate you for bringing them up,” you’re thinking, but hear us out. Look at those ornament cupcakes, they look pretty cool, right? You can learn to make them, and look extremely impressive for doing so, with a class devoted to ornament cupcakes at the NY Cake Academy. Presumably less wacky than the school featured in the Police Academy movies, the Cake Academy will teach you how to make these for $75 this weekend, which gives you time to make some of your own just in time for Christmas party.

Or maybe you fancy yourself more of a budding fancy bartender. In that case, you can hit up this $75 class at Sanctuary T where you can learn how to make tea-infused drinks. Drinks with alcohol we mean of course, because what’s the point of a drink at a party if it doesn’t have some sort of booze in it? And sure you could just experiment on your own, but why do that and risk making something disgusting everyone hates when you can learn from someone about flavor balance and syrups and all that stuff?

It’s almost time for everyone to start arguing over which champagne to get on the way to the New Year’s Eve party. One friend of yours says go with the cheapest thing, another says go with something very expensive. Then there’s you, with a kind of Zen calm explaining why you’re picking out a specific bottle for everyone, using the knowledge you picked up at this $75 Intro to Sparkling class at New York Vinters. As for when arguments start after all the champagne has been had, we suggest you just fade away instead of trying to solve some psychodrama.

Sometimes it’s not merely about drinking wine on its own. Sometimes you gotta pair it with some fancy cheese so you’re feeling extra fancy. What wine though? What cheese? The Bedford Cheese Shop will teach you all about how to combine fancy cheese with sparkling wine for $65, and we think that’s a deal you should take. After all, can you really put a value on learning how to humiliate your father-in-law by telling him that no, brie only goes with the sparkling Bordeaux, not the pinot noir?

What is the fanciest dessert? It’s gotta be a soufflé, right? It’s impossible to make correctly and it has an accent on the “e” and everything. Knowing how fancy it is, you should take this Yes, You Can Make A Soufflé class at Miette, because as the name implies, they’ll teach someone who’s even as dumb as you how to make a dang soufflé. It’s a little pricey at $95, but if you’re really looking to blow some minds at your next holiday party, showing up and casually saying “Oh I just made some soufflés, no big deal” is about as mind-blowing as it gets.

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