Welcome to Food the French Way: my journey through the French Culinary Institute course Culinary Techniques. This six-month, 110-hour intensive program functions as a building block to the full path of becoming a chef at FCI or just for individuals who want to become better cooks.
This blog will function as a diary of what I experience - from the techniques to the recipes-I will try to ensure that you live what I live every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
On Saturday, February 6th, I roll out of bed at 7:30 a.m. to pick up the 6 train at 28th Street down to Spring Street in Soho. I haven't had a first day of school in about two years. I just love that feeling of meeting new people and learning new skills.
After changing in the locker room and having much difficulty learning how to unlock/lock my lock, I proceeded to the kitchen. I arrive at my cooking station to find a beautiful knives set. Receiving my knives set was probably the most exciting part of the day for me. As one who has received household items (Rachael Ray knives, mandolin) for the past several years for my birthday, I felt like a kid in a candy store finding about fifty tools in my little black kit!
Things only got better that day. Chef X (as he told us to call him) is our instructor for the course. He enters the room with a large white pastry chef hat on and begins to speak with a French accent. I could already tell that this is going to be an authentic French cooking course. He begins to explain the house rules: no cooking when the chef is not present, proper dress attire, etc.
Then, we proceed to learn the various knives and tools in our kit. From whisks to peelers to melon ballers and strainers, there's a whole kitchen tool set in front of me.
The topic of the first class is learning how to cut vegetables. It is not an easy feat, let me tell you. I can dice and chop, but what I struggled and continue to struggle with is the "Cocotte." It's a cylindrical (almost rocket-shaped) cut that has rounded edges and allows for chef to cook the vegetables evenly. You have to have a certain grip on the paring knife and it's almost like teaching a tennis player how to switch their grip after playing for nearly 15 years. Anyway, it's my goal this week (after the second session) to be able to master it. It's very difficult not being at the head of the class!
At around 12:30 p.m., lunch is brought to the class of 24 students, which is prepared by the students in the Culinary School program. We were presented with a braised beef short rib dish, cous cous salad, spinach salad and mixed vegetables. Yum-o! I was in heaven considering anything braised or with vegetables is right up my alley. Every Saturday, we will be wined and dined with a three-course meal!
After our 30-minute lunch break, we finish up by showing Chef X our chopping/knifing masterpieces. At this point, I was somewhat okay with my skills, but knew there was definitely room for improvement.
One thing that is interesting about the course is that men and women of all ages and backgrounds come together to learn more about cooking.
Stay tuned for my notes on Session 2! I can't wait to hear your thoughts and share more of my journey with you...
Bon Apetitite!
