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Private Notes
Back to teach his second MasterClass, Chef Thomas Keller shares why he’s returned, and outlines the techniques he’ll teach you—and the philosophy you’ll use to approach all your learning in the kitchen.
Chef Keller walks you through the grades and variety of cuts of beef, pork, and poultry. Learn the difference between choice and prime, the meaning of marbling, the purpose of air-drying meat, and the benefits of dry or wet aging.
Chef Keller teaches you his paillard technique through this versatile, light dish finished with a sauce you’ll learn in Chapter 19: Vinaigrettes. Learn how to pound out a protein for a thin cut and how to execute a quick sauté.
Using veal top round and building on techniques you learned in Chapter 3: Chicken Paillard, Chef Keller teaches you his tricks for achieving an airy, crisp layer of breading and the perfect level of seasoning.
Chef Keller teaches you how to make the fried chicken served every other Monday at his restaurant Ad Hoc. Learn how to brine and break down a whole chicken and fry each piece to perfection.
Chef Keller gives an overview of the meats you’ll be roasting in the next three chapters, including three cuts of beef, two cuts of lamb, and a whole chicken. Then, learn how to calibrate your oven, and the importance of bringing proteins to temp.
Chef Keller teaches you his pan-roasting technique for Pekin duck breast, including how to render the fat for a crispy skin and how to achieve the perfect medium-rare finish. Then learn how to make a honey-orange gastrique sauce for a sweet and sour finish.
Chef Keller thinks of côte de bœuf, or rib steak, as a celebratory dish, built for sharing. Learn how to air-dry, truss, and roast a rib steak, and how to prepare a maître d’hôtel butter for the final flourish.
Learn how to re-create what Chef Keller describes as his first choice for his “last meal.” Chef Keller explains the benefits of brining and air-drying, and teaches you how to truss and roast a chicken in a single pot with vegetables.
The main ingredient is a center-cut rib roast, and a key implement is a propane blowtorch. Learn Chef Keller’s technique for a prime rib roast cooked to an even medium rare in every slice.
Chef Keller teaches you the principles of braising and the role of mirepoix, marinating, and matignon in adding flavor and texture to slow-cooked cuts of meat.
Learn how to truss, sear, and oven-braise a pork shoulder à la matignon with celery root, apples, and onions in a traditional cast-iron cocotte.
Chef Keller teaches you how to braise short ribs through a slow-cooked recipe that is worth the patience it requires. Learn how to make a red wine marinade, clarify it to become the base of the sauce, and reduce it into a finishing glaze.
Chef Keller teaches you his techniques for grilling a variety of proteins on a stove top hibachi. Learn how to choose the right fuel and manage your safety while grilling indoors.
Stocks are an essential building block in Chef Keller’s restaurants. Learn stock-making fundamentals, from their ingredients and techniques to the broader applications of stocks throughout so many dishes.
Chef Keller teaches you how to use a pressure cooker to make a restaurant-quality veal stock that will become the foundation for a number of sauces and recipes, including the sauce in Chapter 21: Brown Chicken Quick Sauce.
Learn the steps to simmering, clarifying, straining, and storing the light chicken stock that Chef Keller uses to cook pasta and as a base for soups and sauces.
Chef Keller walks you through the definition of a sauce and provides an overview of some the most common French sauces alongside the proteins they most commonly pair with.
Learn how to makes a variety of sauces including a basic oil-and-vinegar vinaigrette; a creamy vinaigrette, emulsified with a raw egg yolk and mustard; a sauce vierge; and a chow-chow vinaigrette, from a medley of chopped and pickled vegetables.
Using the stock you made in Chapter 17: Light Chicken Stock, Chef Keller teaches you how to make the French mother sauce, velouté. Then use your velouté to create three more versatile sauces.
Chef Keller developed this “quick” sauce in the early days of The French Laundry. Learn how to build flavor by browning chicken parts, caramelizing vegetables, repeatedly glazing and reglazing, reducing, and clarifying.
Chef Keller concludes his MasterClass with parting words of wisdom and reminds you the importance of patience and practice as you continue on your culinary journey.
