Foundations: Week Ten

My tenth week in the Culinary Foundations program at PICA saw us implementing many staple cooking techniques. We began by mastering consommés and bisques, familiarizing ourselves with the careful methods used to create crystal-clear broths and flavorful seafood soups. Next, we delved into protein cookery, focusing on properly searing duck breast with a blueberry gastrique and grilling adobo-marinated flank steak with Yorkshire pudding. A dedicated potato day saw us preparing five different potato dishes, from classic mashed potatoes to fresh gnocchi and pommes Parisienne. The week culminated in our final black box cook-off, a challenging test of our adaptability, creativity, and comprehensive skills, which required us to use surprise ingredients to devise and execute a complete dish. This week pushed our boundaries and significantly expanded our culinary repertoire.