Day 47 of 60 | Bonjour, Paris! 🇫🇷✨
As we sprint toward the finish line of our eight-week whirlwind at Ecole Ducasse, the pace has officially crossed from “busy” to “culinary triathlon.” We continue to knock out multiple recipes a day, each one more French and more intricate than the last. Since I didn’t share any dishes the past two days, consider this your little culinary catch-up carousel. Buckle up. 😎
We’ve had everything from delicate vegetable-forward plates that look like they belong in a modern art museum…to Chicken à la Serious-Sculpting-Energy (yes, the black crumbs are meant to be there)….to scallops arranged with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker…to carpaccio-style creations so pretty I almost felt bad eating them. Almost.
And then… pièce de résistance…The Ribeye.
A good old-fashioned, deeply aged, beautifully marbled ribeye, paired with hand-cut fries that had to be plated in a distinctly French architectural style because nothing is ever just “fries” here. It was, without question, my happiest food day. You can take an American out of America, but you absolutely cannot take the American out of my soul, and this mannloves him a well cooked steak. I gave the fries away! 🇺🇸❤️🥩
What continues to amaze me is how each day in this kitchen teaches me more and more precision, creativity, and new ways of thinking about food design. One moment I’m sweating over micro-herbs with tweezers, the next I’m learning that the simplest dishes I already know how to prepare well, like steak and potatoes, can be done in new ways.
And that’s the magic of this whole experience.
Sometimes mastery isn’t always about doing the complex thing…it’s about doing the simple thing beautifully. Day after day. Rep after rep. Plate after plate.
Paris keeps teaching me that.
Now, on to Day 48… where I’m sure another dish will threaten to break me, build me, or both.
My sister Sue McDonald & my brother-in-law Joe Mcdonald arrive today. Lori and I look forward to hosting them for the next week. They probably look forward to me bringing home leftovers after class. 🤣
