The Chopping Block's Building Block
Series is a comprehensive set of 24 menus designed
to illustrate essential cooking techniques.
Whether you are an amateur or an expert, The Chopping
Block will help you lay a foundation of kitchen skills to build
on. Every week, each student is provided with a tip-filled handout
complete with timesaving techniques and recipes.
| Roast
Duck with Raspberry Glaze
Spinach Timbale
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Handout: How to Roast and Carve Poultry |
Roasting and
carving poultry
Reduction
sauces
Use of a non-stick pan
Cooking in a water bath
Savory custards
Working with chocolate
Air-leavened cakes
|
| Bistro
Salad
Steak Au Poivre
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Caramelized Apple Crepes
Handout: How to Make a Pan Sauce |
Warm
vinaigrettes
Poaching
Selecting beef for sautéing
Using fresh cracked spices
Deglazing
Cooking with alcohol
Pan reduction sauces
How to tell when meat is done
Batter techniques
Caramelizing
How to flambé |
| Classic
Antipasto
Shrimp Scampi with Capellini
Profitteroles with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce
Handout: How to Handle Shellfish |
Marinating
and grilling vegetables
Characteristics of olive oil
Preparing and cooking shrimp
Selecting and cooking pasta
Compound butter as a sauce
Choux pastry
steam as a leavening agent
Using a pastry bag
Chocolate sauce |
| Beef
Wellington with Robert Sauce
Glazed Carrots
Cheese Plate with Poached Pear
Handout: Mother Sauces |
Working
with puff pastry
Searing meat
Vegetable fillings
Understanding brown sauces and roux’s
GlazingCharacteristics of cheese
Poaching fruit
Simple syrups |
| Mussels
with Tomatoes, Tarragon, White Wine and Cream
40 Clove Garlic Chicken
Celery Root Purée
Crème Brûlée
Handout: How to Braise |
Selecting,
cleaning and cooking shellfish
How to cut up a chicken
Braising poultry
Vegetables purées
Role of eggs in custard
Using a blow torch |
| Crab
Cakes with Rouille
Blackened Fish with Spicy Pecan Beurre Blanc
Cornbread
Handout: Emulsified Sauces |
Selecting
fish
Breading
Use of a non-stick pan
Hot and cold emulsions
High heat vs. low temperature cooking
Understanding quickbreads |
| French
Onion Soup
Rack of Lamb with Apple Mint Chutney
Roasted Butternut Squash
Cheesecake with Ginger Caramel Sauce
Handout: Searing and Caramelizing |
Caramelizing
Selecting, cooking and carving lamb
Roasting meats and vegetables
Fruit chutneys
Making cheesecake
Caramel sauce |
| 5-Spice
Pork Ribs
Korean Beef in Lettuce Cups
Cucumber Salad
Sticky Rice
Handout: How to Select Cuts of Meat |
Selecting
appropriate cuts of meat
Marinating and grilling beef
Braising meat
Salting vegetables
Basic flavors of Asian cuisine
Working with short grain rice |
| Caesar
Salad
Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli
Proscuitto Wrapped Scallops
Panna Cotta with Macerated Berries
Handout: Dressings and Marinades |
Making
croutons
Preparing salad greens
Cream sauces
Marinating seafood
Grilling seafood
Working with gelatin
Macerating |
| Roast
Prime Rib Au Jus
Horseradish Sauce
Potatoes Anna
Dinner Rolls
Fresh Fruit Crisp
(3 hour class)
Handout: How to Tell When Meat is Done |
How
to roast meat
Meat thermometers
Making au jus
Using starchy potatoes
Working with yeast dough
Crumble toppings |
| Potato
Pancakes
Oven Poached Salmon with Dill Hollandaise
Asparagus
Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd
Handout: How to Poach
|
Selecting
potatoes
Velouté
Stuffing meat
Working with dried fruits
Roasting vegetables
Custards as a binder
Fruit sauces |
| Lobster
Bisque
Fish in Parchment w/ Julienne Vegetables
Quinoa with Toasted Pine Nuts
Chocolate Mousse
Handout: How to Choose & Prepare Fish |
Purchasing
and preparing live shellfish
Shellfish stocks
Compound butters
How to julienne / using a mandolin
Steaming in paper
Working with grains
Toasting nuts
Whipping cream and egg whites
Working with chocolate |
| Pot
Roast
Braised Vegetables
Buttermilk Biscuits
German Chocolate Cake with Frosting(3 hour class)
Handout: How to Bake a Cake |
Braising
meat and vegetables
Understanding gluten in baking
Biscuit basics
Cake basics
Making caramel
Finishing, filling and frosting cakes |
| Empanadas
Grilled New Mexican Fish with Fruit Salsa
Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash
Coconut Flan
Handout: How to Make Salsas, Chutneys and Sambals |
Savory
pastry crusts
Vegetable fillings
Selecting fish for grilling
Fruit salsas / tropical fruits
Grilling vegetables
Caramel custards |
| Buttermilk
Fried Chicken Breasts
New Potato and French Bean Salad
with Homemade Mayonnaise
Apple Pie with Whipped Cream
Handout: How to Fry |
Breading
Deep frying
Making mayonnaise (cold emulsion)
Steaming vegetables
Selecting flour
Making and rolling pastry dough
Fruit fillings |
| Won
Ton Soup
Chinese Vegetables with a Crispy Noodle Pancake
Kung Pao Chicken
Szechwan Grilled Eggplant
Handout: How to Stir Fry |
Working
with won ton wrappers
Forcemeats
Basic knife techniques
Selecting meats for stir frying
Stir fry basics
Working with eggplant |
| Pan-Seared
Fish Provencale
Saffron Rice
Sautéed Spinach
Fresh Fruit Tart
Handout: How to Make Pastry |
Sautéing
fish and vegetables
Tomato sauce
Using saffron
Using a rice cooker
Blind baking crusts
Pastry cream
Glazing fruit tarts |
| Broccoli
Soup
Chicken Pot Pie
Butterscotch Pudding
Handout: How to Make Soup / Stock |
Puréed
soups
Principles in thickening sauces, soups & desserts
Selecting appropriate thickening agents
Velouté
Stewing poultry
Savory crusts |
| Hummus
with Pita Chips
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken withCucumber Yogurt Sauce
Tabouli Salad
Baklava
Handout: How to Grill |
Working
with grains and legumes
Marinating and grilling chicken
Yogurt sauces
Working with herbs
Selecting tomatoes
Working with filo pastry dough
Nut fillings |
| Pear,
Candied Nuts and Blue Cheese Salad
Crab and Spinach Soufflé
Cornmeal and Currant Biscotti
Lime Shortbread Cookies
Handout: How to Make a Soufflé |
Timing
a meal
Candied nuts
Vinaigrettes
Whipping egg whites
Soufflé techniques
Cookie techniques |
| Roasted
Red Pepper & Mozzarella Crostini
Roasted Chicken
Wild Mushroom Risotto
Tiramisu
Handout: How to Make Risotto |
Making
crostini
Roasting poultry and peppers
Selecting poultry
Poultry doneness
Carving a whole bird
Working with dried mushrooms
Risotto
Simple syrup
Using vanilla beans |
| Roasted
Garlic Foccacia
Pesto Pizza
Calzone with Meatballs
Handout: How to Make Bread |
Roasting
garlic
Yeast doughs
Making pesto
Using a pizza stone
Tomato sauces
Working with ground meats |