Gourmet Cooking and Catering Course Outline

Chefs and restaurants in history; point and nouvelle cuisine; new foods for today's consumers; sanitation; modern food service operations.

The balanced diet; storing and cooking foods to preserve nutrients; the food guide pyramid; ingredient substitutes and alternatives; package labeling; types of menus; standardized recipes; recipe measurements and conversions; calculating and controlling recipe costs.

Selecting the right supplies and equipment; hand tools; using knives: slicing, chopping, dicing, mincing, and more; measuring, portioning, processing, and storage devices; cookware; strainers; sieves; ovens; stoves; broilers; grills.

Selecting and using herbs and spices; bouquet garni and sachet; salt; spice blends; nuts; using various oils; vinegars; condiments, including relishes, pickles, soy sauce, and ketchup; grinding, brewing, and serving coffees and teas; milk; cream; cultured dairy products; butter; margarine; natural and processed cheeses.

How to maximize your time, organize yourself, and be more productive and efficient.

Heating principles; dry- and most-heat cooking methods; braising; stewing; making stocks; court bouillon; nage; glaze; preparing roux; using thickening agents; finishing methods; sauce families; preparing sauces, gravies, salsa, and relish; compound butters; flavored oils.

Clear, broth-based, purée, and cream soups; consommés; chowders; bisques; cold soups; soup garnishing; soup service; meat grades; aging, buying, and storing meats; techniques for selecting, preparing, and cooking meats.

Principals of meat cookery; primal and subprimal cuts of beef, veal, lamb, and pork; understanding inspection and grading; butchering procedures; cooking and serving suggestions for beef, veal, lamb, and pork; recipes; broiling, grilling, basting, barbecuing, and roasting techniques.

Identifying and selecting chicken, goose, guinea, pigeon, turkey, and ratites; duck and goose liver; nutritional values; giblets; buying, storing, butchering, and marinating poultry and game; sautéing, roasting, frying, and barbecuing procedures; moist-heat methods for cooking poultry.

Identifying, buying, storing, and cooking fish and shellfish; fabrication methods; broiling and grilling methods; knowing grades of eggs; whipping egg whites; dry- and most-heat cooking; how to fry, bake, and sauté eggs; crêpes; egg recipes.

Equipment and fats for deep-frying; breading and battering foods; frying procedures; greens; gourds and squashes; onions; mushrooms and truffles; stalks; baby vegetables; pods and seeds; mushrooms; roots and tubers; buying, storing, and cooking fresh, preserved, frozen, canned, and dried vegetables; microwaving and puréeing techniques; stir-frying techniques.

Identifying, buying, storing, and cooking potatoes and grains; buying and preparing a variety of gourmet pasta dishes; preparing and filling fresh pasta; selecting and preparing salad greens and salad dressings; bound salads; fruit salads.

Identifying and using berries, citrus, exotics, grapes, melons, pomes, stone fruits, and tropical's; buying and storing fresh, frozen, dried, and preserved fruits; sandwich breads, spreads, and fillings; preparing and presenting cold and hot sandwiches; preparing hors d'oeuvres; sushi.

Types of ingredients: flours, sugars, sweeteners, flavorings, leavening agents, and fats; thickeners; quick breads; yeast breads; the baking process; chocolate; bakeshop tools and equipment; mixing methods; cooling and storing baked goods; rolling-in dough's.

Pies and tarts; crusts; flaky and mealy dough's; fillings; classic pastries; éclair paste; meringues; cookies; assembling, mixing, decorating, and storing cakes; frostings; baked and stirred custards; soufflés; creams; chiffon; frozen desserts; dessert sauces.

French, Russian, and American á la carte and buffet service styles; setting the table correctly: utensils, tablecloths, and napkins; tray loading and carrying procedure; the side towel; banquet service; French service today; serving techniques.

Keys to successful banquet management; catering vs. banquets; business entertaining; procedures for booking functions; staffing; room and setup options; audio-visual and other equipment; planning tips.

Preparing, equipping, and staffing for the function; organizing the kitchen, service, and bar staff; serving cocktail and banquet parties and sit-down meals; buffets; meeting rooms; keeping foods hot; banquet check-backs.

Using policy and function sheets; obtaining information about the function; menu and event planning; types of meals; alcoholic beverage service; scheduling and confirming the arrangements; meeting with the staff; seating plans; checking the details.

Do you have what it takes?; apprenticeships; working from home; local regulations; outfitting your kitchen and pantry; the business plan; working with wholesale purveyors; insurance; contracts; hiring employees; menu pricing; estimating quantities; bidding and proposals.

Sales and marketing techniques; your niche in the business; accounting fundamentals; job assignments; the schedule; the pack-out checklist; food presentation tips; how to avoid and solve problems; staffing; setup and breakdown; surveys.