Day 52 of 60 | Bonjour, Paris! 🇫🇷✨
Welcome to the beginning of Final Exam Week at Ecole Ducasse - the culinary equivalent of being dropped into the Thunderdome… except everyone is holding a whisk, and the judges wear Michelin stars instead of capes.
On the docket?
Three full days of practice runs under the watchful eyes of master chefs who see everything. Every hesitation. Every power move. Every “did I just burn that?” micro-expression. Think Jedi training… but with more butter.
And what exactly are we preparing for?
Oh, nothing big. Just a four-course gourmet French tasting menu that we must conceive, prep, cook, plate, and present flawlessly to two master chefs within a four-hour window. Then each course must be delivered every 27 minutes on the dot.
No pressure, right?
Wrong.
This is pressure distilled into its purest form - pressure confit.
But here’s the twist: unlike the first three exams, this time we design everything. Our theme. Our dishes. Our techniques. Our flavors. Our story. No trying to remember how you cooked one obscure element of a twelve ingredient dish a week ago. Instead, its something you’ve never cooked before - just your vision on a plate!
And I have to tell you: Lori and I loved the creative process. There’s something exhilarating about dreaming up a menu knowing you will soon have to bring it to life… under conditions that would make most people sweat through their chef coat.
So here it is, the big reveal. The menu we designed. The menu we got approved. The menu we must now execute with absolute precision when the clock goes live.
FINAL EXAM MENU – Ecole Ducasse
THEME
A Winter Progression in Four Courses: Earth • Garden • Sea • Land
1. Cold Starter
Brique Tartelette of Mushroom & Onion
with Granny Smith, Pine Nuts & Basil Oil
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2. Hot Vegetarian Dish
Winter Vegetable Mosaic
with Celeriac Purée, Citrus Gel, Herb Vinaigrette & Hempseed Gratin
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3. Hot Fish Dish
Seabass with Soft Onion Purée, Braised Jerusalem Artichoke, 3-Citrus Chimichurri & Potato Mash Purée
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4. Hot Meat Dish
Duck Breast with Beet Purée, Beet Reduction, Parsnip Purée (Micro-Gastrique), Duck Jus & Braised Leeks
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If you’re a visual learner and prefer photos… well, you’re out of luck for now. We haven’t cooked any of these dishes yet. Not once. Not even accidentally.
But over the next few days, I will take you behind the scenes as Lori and I, as a team, attempt to wrangle this four-course winter saga into existence, all while under exam pressure that could turn a soufflé into a pancake.
Stay tuned. We’re about to show you what really goes into crafting a menu like this.
And fair warning… it may just shock you.
