Culinary Boot Camp 1 (5 consecutive Saturdays)

Have you always wondered what it would be like to go to culinary school? The Chopping Block's Culinary Boot Camp 1 gives you a taste of a professional culinary program without the lengthy time commitment or heavy financial burden. We are the ONLY recreational cooking school that offers this type of culinary foundation and education without attending a year-round culinary academy.

Culinary Boot Camp 1 explores all the fundamental methods of cooking, from basics to advanced techniques. Each day builds on the previous day and on the last day, you'll tie everything together to plan and produce a menu with your classmates that incorporates all of the techniques you've learned throughout the week. After just five sessions, you'll go home with a foundation of fine-tuned cooking skills.

Day One: Knife Skills, Fish Butchery, Emulsions and Fish Cookery

• In depth lessons in knife skills including how to select and sharpen your knives
• Whole fish butchery
• Selecting fish
• Making fish stock
• Proper use of cookware and essential kitchen tools
• Preparing emulsion sauces such as Aioli, Hollandaise and Beurre Blanc
• Fish cookery including poached fish, whole roasted branzino and sautéed fish

Day Two: Chicken and Beef Butchery, Stocks and Meat Cookery

• Butchery of whole chicken and beef tenderloin
• Understanding primal and sub-primal cuts of meat
• Selecting the proper cuts of meat for the cooking technique
• How to tell when meat is done
• Preparing chicken and veal stock
• Meat cookery including braising, sautéing, stuffing, roasting and grilling
• Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Herb Butter
• Coq au Vin 
• Roasted Pork Roulade with Prunes, Olives and Balsamic
• Five-Spice Roasted Chicken
• Chicken Piccata

Day Three: Soups and Sauces

• In depth lessons in soup making including French Onion, Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, Clam Chowder and Avgolemono
• Understanding the "Mother Sauces" and how to apply them to everyday cooking
• Sauce Espagnole
• Tomato Sauce
• Roux and Velouté
• Alfredo Sauce, Béchamel Style and Reduction Style
• Preparing vinaigrette
• Bistro Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Homemade Croutons
• Balancing flavors

Day Four: Eggs, Vegetable and Grain Cookery

• Egg cookery including omelets, over-easy eggs and soufflés
• Selecting and working with potatoes
• Home Fries Skillet
• Potatoes Anna
• Vegetable cookery including sautéing, roasting and grilling
• Sautéed Green Beans with Bacon and Cranberries
• Oven-Roasted Broccoli
• Grilled Eggplant and Portobello Mushrooms
• Roasting peppers and garlic
• Working with dried beans
• White Bean Bruschetta
• Selecting and working with grains
• Pea and Saffron Risotto
• Curried Quinoa Pilaf
• Goat Cheese and Herb Polenta
• Rice cookery

Day Five: Tastebud Tutorial, Plating and Honing Your Skills

• Understanding taste vs. flavor and the five basic tastes
• Building complex flavor profiles
• Selecting olive oils and vinegars
• Selecting fresh vs. dried herbs
• Honing and practicing the techniques from the week by preparing an assortment of dishes of your choosing
• Plating and presentation skills

Please contact our team at lincoln@thechoppingblock.com or click here for more information.

Want to see more classes? Visit thechoppingblock.com.