This is part 4 of a 5 part series on my adventures at the CIA Boot Camp. You can see other posts here:
Topics covered in the Day 4 lecture, and reinforced in the kitchen included:
- Moist-Heat and Combination Cooking
Day 4 we learned about and practiced poaching, shallow poaching, deep poaching, simmering, boiling, braising, stewing, and steaming
Fun Facts we learned today:
- To be truly called ice cream, it has to be made with 80% heavy cream.
- When you double a recipe, you don’t always want to double the aromatics and spices.
- Searing is done for flavor, color, texture, and appearance. It does NOT seal in juices, it actually dries food out a bit.
Team 1 (my team) prepared:
- Tarragon Chicken
- Whipped Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Herbed Root Vegetables
Team 2 prepared:
- Ossobuco Milanaise
- Saffron Risotto
- Braised Swiss Chard
Team 3 prepared:
- Poached Red Snapper Veracruz
- Aromatic Rice
- Drunken Beans
Yet another day of amazing food. It’s difficult to convey how much fun, and work, all of this was. And I don’t think the pictures do it justice either. By the end of Day 4 we had learned so much. And Day 5 was to be our most interesting day. Each team receives a market basket of food. We have to prepare a first course (appetizer, etc) and an entree. We must use some of each item in our basket. So, of course, we had a lot of homework on Thursday night!
Got questions about my CIA Boot Camp experience? Leave a comment below or use my contact page.
This is the fourth in a series of 5 blog posts on my adventures at the CIA. Look for the series to continue for the next few Fridays. To view other posts:
- Where Am I Now? - March 9, 2016
- Of Cantaloupes and Cucumbers - April 28, 2015
- Antiperspirants Vs. Deodorants - March 31, 2015
I thought that searing DOES seal in the juices. I wonder who started that rumor if it’s not true?