The final week of French cuisine solidified that the most challenging part of French food is the preparation. French food requires lots of precise cutting. More than anything I have ever done. Once all of the prep is done, the cooking methods are pretty basic. This week we made: Consomme Burnoise (Beef Consomme with vegetables), Huilres Chaudes aux Courgettes (Warm Oysters with Zucchini), Poulet Saute Marengo ( Chicken Saute Marengo), Endives au Lait d'Amandes Douces (Braised Endives with Almond Cream), Tomato Clamart, Potatoes Parmentier, Salad Bigouden (Lettuce Salad) and Crème Brulee. I was responsible for making the endive with almond cream, lettuce salad and crème brulee. The almond cream seemed so strange, but it was really good. I did not think that my custard for the crème brulee was going to come together, it was taking a long time to set-up. Also, the sugar we used was brown sugar. The result was a sugar crust that was an overall brown color. Cooking French food is a good test for knife skills and timing.
We used: blender, scale, oven, salamander, knives, pots and stove top.
We used: blender, scale, oven, salamander, knives, pots and stove top.