Our recent week at L’Academie de Cuisine unfolded with an extraordinary and exhilarating challenge, diverging significantly from our typical curriculum. On a pivotal Wednesday, we were entrusted with the formidable task of designing, executing, and presenting a sophisticated six-course tasting menu. This wasn’t merely an academic exercise; it was a high-stakes chef competition, judged by an impressive panel that included three distinguished visiting culinary professionals, the esteemed director of our school, Chef Patrice, and several other guests. Essentially, it was a grander and more intense iteration of our regular Market Basket challenges, but with a crucial twist: instead of working in our usual pairs, the entire class was divided into two competing teams—the girls versus the guys—setting the stage for an epic culinary showdown.

The Strategic Planning: Crafting a Fine Dining Menu

Tuesday, typically dedicated to culinary demonstrations and practical production, was entirely reallocated to the intensive planning phase of this ambitious tasting menu challenge. Our morning commenced with a comprehensive discussion, delving into the specific requirements and high expectations for the competition. Following this essential briefing, we promptly broke into our respective teams to brainstorm, strategize, and meticulously develop our unique menu concepts and operational blueprints. Much like the Market Basket challenges, we were presented with a selection of mandatory ingredients that had to be skillfully integrated into our dishes. Furthermore, we were given precise instructions regarding the order and type of courses that needed to be incorporated into the day’s elaborate tasting menu. This structured framework, while demanding, spurred an immense amount of creative problem-solving and teamwork. Each team bore the responsibility for creating the following distinct courses, ensuring a diverse and balanced culinary experience:

• Two Amuse Bouche dishes: These exquisite, bite-sized appetizers were designed to awaken the palate and set the tone for the gastronomic journey ahead.
• Soup Course: A thoughtfully prepared soup to offer a comforting yet refined transition into the meal.
• Seafood Course: A highlight of the menu, this course mandated the use of premium fresh lobster and sea scallops, challenging our skills in preparing delicate proteins.
• Granita (Shaved Ice Course): Positioned as a refreshing intermezzo, this course was intended to cleanse the palate, preparing it for the richer flavors to come.
• Meat Course: The robust centerpiece of the tasting menu, each team was provided with an entire leg of lamb, offering a significant opportunity to showcase butchery, roasting, and flavor development techniques.
• Cheese Course: Featuring the distinct and pungent Roquefort cheese, this course required careful pairing and presentation to highlight its unique characteristics.
• Dessert: The sweet culmination of the meal, this course specifically required the integration of fresh rhubarb, prompting innovative approaches to classic or contemporary desserts.
• Two Mignardise: Elegant, petit fours, these bite-sized sweets were served as a final delicate flourish, concluding the dining experience.

After intensive collaborative brainstorming within our group, Team A (the girls) meticulously formulated our detailed menu. Once our strategic culinary vision was solidified, we presented our concepts to Chef Patrice. His invaluable insights and expert feedback were instrumental, helping us to refine our dishes, optimize ingredient pairings, and streamline our execution plan. With his guidance, the remainder of Tuesday was dedicated to comprehensive mise en place and prep work. This crucial preparation allowed us to get a substantial amount of components ready in advance, easing the intense pressure of the service day and laying a solid foundation for our ambitious six-course tasting menu.

Service Day: The Culinary Marathon Begins

While various team members took the lead on specific dishes and their intricate components, the overall essence of this challenge truly fostered a profound sense of teamwork and collective effort. This collaborative spirit made the intense experience not just demanding, but also remarkably enjoyable. Our preparatory efforts on Tuesday were extensive, including the time-consuming yet rewarding process of making homemade pita dough from scratch for a key element of our main course. This commitment to handcrafted quality set the standard for our menu. The following morning, we reconvened in the kitchen, energized and focused, to complete the remaining preparations and ensure every dish was impeccable for the impending service.

The service schedule was rigorous, requiring us to expertly plate nine perfect portions of each course, with the first dishes dispatched precisely at 12:30 PM. Our esteemed panel of judges comprised culinary luminaries: Executive Chef Nick Stefanelli from the critically acclaimed Bibiana in D.C., Executive Chef Adam Sobel of Bourbon Steak, also in D.C., and the highly respected food writer Tim Carman from the Washington Post. Their discerning palates and expert opinions added an unparalleled level of pressure and prestige to the competition, motivating us to push the boundaries of our culinary abilities.

A Culinary Narrative: Team A’s Award-Winning Tasting Menu

Amuse Bouche: A Trio of Welcoming Bites

Our gastronomic journey commenced with a delightful trio of amuse bouche, meticulously designed to intrigue and excite the judges’ palates. The first offering was a delicate chickpea fritter, perfectly golden and crisp, served alongside a velvety, homemade aioli that provided a rich, herbaceous counterpoint. Complementing this were intensely flavored oven-dried cherry tomatoes, paired with a vibrant kalamata olive tapenade, offering a burst of Mediterranean essence. The final, and perhaps most impressive, element was our impeccably fresh, handmade mozzarella. This component proved to be an unexpected adventure; upon discovering the school’s existing mozzarella was unsuitable, Chef Michel graciously intervened, guiding us through the intricate process of crafting fresh mozzarella from scratch, ensuring a superior product for our presentation – as captured in the accompanying photograph.

Chilled Cucumber Soup: A Refreshing Palate Cleanser

For our second course, we presented a wonderfully refreshing chilled cucumber soup. This elegant and invigorating creation was thoughtfully garnished with finely brunoised red pepper and crisp cucumber for delightful textural contrast, along with a subtle, creamy dollop of fresh avocado. This particular soup held a special resonance, as it was a refined adaptation of a dish that Blanca and I had successfully developed and executed during a previous Market Basket challenge, showcasing our progression and ability to build upon prior culinary achievements. Its cool, clean flavors provided an ideal transition.

Seafood Course: Asparagus Risotto with Lobster and Scallops

The seafood course offered one of the menu’s most luxurious highlights: a perfectly cooked, al dente asparagus risotto, infused with vibrant spring flavors. This creamy foundation was elegantly crowned with a perfectly seared, tender sea scallop, succulent pieces of fresh lobster meat, and finished with a rich, velvety lobster cream sauce that tied all the elements together. Crafting risotto to the exacting standards of an Italian Executive Chef was undeniably a daunting prospect, given the dish’s precise technical requirements. Yet, we were immensely proud to receive feedback praising its excellent cook, with only a minor suggestion for a slightly more fluid consistency. This positive critique, despite its minor point, was a significant validation of our technique and overall execution for such a critical course.

Lime, Tarragon & Sparkling Wine Granita: The Palate Intermezzo

Following the richness and depth of our seafood course, we served a small, invigorating shot glass of granita. This icy delight, meticulously prepared the day before, featured a harmonious blend of vibrant fresh lime juice, the subtle, aromatic notes of tarragon, and the elegant effervescence of sparkling wine. The granita’s quintessential role is to act as a palate cleanser, effectively “resetting” the taste buds and preparing them to fully appreciate the more robust and intricate flavors of the subsequent courses, a critical component in a thoughtfully structured tasting menu.

Meat Course: The Innovative Lamb Gyro

Next, we presented our main meat course, an innovative and somewhat unconventional interpretation of a lamb gyro. Our dish featured a deconstructed “sandwich” concept, centered around our tender, homemade pita bread. This was generously filled with succulent roasted leg of lamb, which had been meticulously marinated with olive oil, garlic, and fresh rosemary for profound depth of flavor. Accompanying this was an exceptionally creamy and intensely flavorful homemade tzatziki sauce, finely brunoised feta cheese, crisp fresh tomato, cool cucumber, and thinly sliced red onion. To elevate the dish further and add essential moisture and richness, we also prepared a complex lamb jus from scratch, utilizing the roasted lamb bones. This course was undoubtedly our most adventurous of the day, deliberately deviating from traditional fine dining presentations. While the judges thoroughly enjoyed its bold, well-balanced flavors and innovative execution, they did express some reservations about the concept of serving a “sandwich” within the formal context of a tasting menu. Despite their stylistic critique regarding presentation, the flavor profile of the dish was a resounding success, proving that calculated risks in flavor can indeed pay dividends. As a delightful bonus, we all thoroughly enjoyed the generous leftovers for lunch!

Roquefort Cheese Course: A Harmony of Sweet and Savory

Transitioning gracefully from our adventurous lamb course, we presented a refined cheese course. This minimalist yet impactful dish featured a delicate puff pastry base, elegantly topped with beautifully caramelized onions that offered a sweet, deeply earthy counterpoint to the sharp, pungent tang of a generous wedge of Roquefort cheese. A small, vibrant arugula salad, dressed simply, was served alongside, providing a fresh, peppery bite that perfectly cut through the richness of the cheese and pastry. This course was thoughtfully designed to bridge the gap between savory and sweet, preparing the palate with sophisticated flavors for the upcoming dessert.

Rhubarb Crostada: A Rustic Dessert with Refined Flavors

And finally, for our grand finale, we presented an exquisite Rhubarb Crostada. This charmingly rustic tart was served alongside a luxurious Vanilla-Bourbon Crème Anglaise—a slight, strategic pivot from our initial plan for vanilla ice cream, which unfortunately did not set to the desired consistency. A vibrant blackberry sauce provided a final touch of intense sweetness and balanced acidity, beautifully complementing the tartness of the rhubarb. The judges were unanimous in their praise for the superb flavor profile and overall deliciousness of the dish, finding it incredibly harmonious and satisfying. Their only minor critique pertained to its presentation, which they felt leaned a bit too rustic for the refined context of a fine dining tasting menu. Nevertheless, the flavors themselves were unequivocally a triumph.

Mignardise: A Sweet and Memorable Farewell

To gracefully conclude this elaborate culinary journey, we presented two exquisite mignardise, those delightful, bite-sized confections designed to leave a lasting, sweet impression. Our offerings included an orange nut cake which, in hindsight, we realized bore a strong resemblance to a rich and fragrant baklava cake with its layers of nuts and sweet syrup. The second mignardise was a decadent peanut butter crunch truffle, providing a satisfying blend of creamy and crunchy textures. These tiny treasures served as the perfect sweet farewell, encapsulating the artistry, precision, and heartfelt effort that went into crafting every single course of our ambitious six-course tasting menu.

The Verdict: Professional Feedback and Team Triumph

After the intense flurry of service and the meticulous plating of our extensive tasting menu, we gathered anxiously in the classroom for the highly anticipated moment of truth. The distinguished visiting judges, alongside our revered school director, Chef Patrice, joined us to deliver their comprehensive and candid feedback on each course presented by both competing teams. At the very outset of this ambitious challenge, we had been informed that the victorious team would be awarded a coveted two points on our next practical exam. While this incentive certainly provided an added layer of motivation, our primary anticipation was for the invaluable professional insights and expert thoughts on the intricate dishes into which we had poured our hearts and skills.

The feedback session was, to our immense delight, overwhelmingly positive—a resounding testament to the collective hard work, dedication, and talent of the students. Aside from a few minor, constructive suggestions primarily concerning presentation subtleties, the judges expressed profound satisfaction with nearly every aspect of our menu. Every visiting judge commended our exceptional mastery of flavors, the superb quality of our chosen ingredients, and the masterful seasoning evident throughout all courses. To receive such high praise at this advanced stage of our rigorous culinary program was incredibly affirming and arguably the most significant compliment we could possibly hope for. It unequivocally validated the countless hours of practice, learning, and refinement we had undergone.

Among the stream of glowing reviews, we were honored to hear descriptors such as “excellent,” “outstanding,” “delicious,” “creative,” and “beautiful.” The sense of accomplishment and validation was truly profound and deeply motivating. Reflecting on the entirety of our menu, I believe our meticulously crafted amuse bouche (with the chickpea fritter singled out for particular praise), the rich and perfectly executed Lobster & Scallop risotto, the bold and flavorful lamb gyro (despite its untraditional presentation), and the delightful Rhubarb Crostada resonated most strongly with the judges, standing out as definitive highlights of our extensive culinary offering.

And then came the moment we had all eagerly awaited: the announcement of the winning team. With immense excitement and an undeniable surge of pride, Team A—the girls’ team—was declared victorious! It was an incredibly fulfilling and memorable day, providing not only a demanding culinary challenge but also invaluable professional feedback as we rapidly approach the culmination of our studies and prepare to embark on our externships. The additional two points on our next practical exam were, of course, a very welcome bonus, but the true reward was the resounding recognition of our collective skill, creativity, and the unforgettable experience itself.

Stay tuned for an update on our very last official day of production at L’Academie! Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend filled with culinary inspiration!