Foundations: Week Two

My second week in the Culinary Foundations program at PICA was a much-needed exploration of essential techniques. We mastered the five mother sauces: Espagnole, Velouté, Béchamel, Tomato, and Hollandaise, applying them to dishes like Croque Madame and Eggs Benedict. The week also heavily featured dry-heat cooking methods such as pan-frying, sautéing, searing, and deep-frying, creating dishes like miso pork medallions and beer-battered fish and chips. We concluded by exploring moist and combination cooking methods, finishing the week off with one of the best-tasting dishes of the program: braised ancho chilli beef short ribs. This week was packed with diverse recipes, hands-on learning, and a focus on fundamental skills.