Skills Development.....PART DEUX!

Quick update! I've finished my first two terms at the CIA and have gone on to externship. I moved out to snowy Aspen, Colorado and will be starting at Viceroy Resort at Snowmass Village very soon. More on this later! Now to catch up on these posts...


Continuing on from Skills 1 was Skills Development 2 with the same class and same chef. In this class, we continue learning about vegetable cookery, starches, and protein. From day one, Chef B. began teasing us about day 4. The infamous egg day. Every time he or someone else brought it up in class, this sadistic evil look would spread across his face...and now that I think about it...that same sadistic evil look appears quite a bit at school...hmm..

Chef B in Demo

So in Skills 2, we continued to practice the fundamentals we learned from skills 1 such as stocks, which we made everyday, as well as items like the mother sauces, roux, and basic veg and starch cookery. The first couple days of skills 2 was dedicated to starches and vegetables. We then moved on to learning how to make fresh pasta. That was a fun day. Everyone got to make our own fresh fettuccine and also fresh cheese ravioli. Each team made a batch of tomato sauce. One team made a creamy mushroom truffle sauce under the instruction of Chef B. and it was #%(**& outstanding.

Then comes egg day. Every student had to know how to properly cook eggs in a variety of different methods. We learned over easy, over medium, over hard, soft scramble, hard scramble, hard cooked, country omelet, French omelet, and sunny side up. Chef B. told us a story in which one of his past students at one point during egg day, put down the pan, gathered his things and just left the class and X'd out. Not a word to anyone. Poor guy just snapped. Yea. Respect the egg.

The rest of class was learning to make completed plates: Each completed plate was typically composed of a protein, a starch, a green vegetable, another vegetable, and a sauce. And guess what? I have pictures.

Herb and Cheese Risotto

Deep Poach Salmon, Haricot Verts, Squash noodles
Parsley Potatoes, Sauce Beurre Blanc

Shallow Poached Paupiette of Sole
Steamed Spinach, glazed carrots, rice pilaf
Sauce Vin Blanc

Roasted Chicken w/ pan gravy
Roasted root vegetables
Broccoli Rabe au Beurre, Sauteed Potato tourne

Braised Short Rib w/ braising liquid (demi glace)
Polenta, Haricot Verts au Beurre
Root vegetable tourne

Chicken Friccase (White Chicken Stew)
Pommes Puree, Broccoli au Beurre
Garnished with pearl onions and sauteed mushrooms

Fried Pork Cutlet
Cole Slaw, Spaetzle
Sauce Piquante

Grilled New York Strip Steak
Pomme Frites, Grilled Vegetables
Bearnaise Sauce

Sauteed Tenderloin medallions
Broccoli Rabe au Beurre
Potato au Gratin
Onion Rings
Sauce Chass

So...anyone else hungry?