Gourmet Cooking & Catering
Career Diploma
Program Outline
The Gourmet Cooking and Catering Course is comprised of 20 comprehensive lessons. They are easy to follow, yet challenging and stimulating at the same time. Each lesson begins with a subject matter preview and objectives, an introductory note from your instructor and a vocabulary builder of new words and terms.
Next comes the reading assignment. Practice exercises help you check and review what you've learned. At the end of the lesson is an open-book exam, which you may take online. The course includes hundreds of delicious recipes and scrumptious menus that you can practice with - and enjoy - at home.
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.
Ready to enroll? Enroll online or call 1-800-957-5412 to speak to an Admission Advisor!
