Baking Boot Camp: Five Days of Basic Training at The Culinary Institute of America »

Founded in 1946, THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor's and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. Courses for foodservice professionals are offered at the college's main campus in Hyde Park, New York, and at its branch campus, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, California.

Darra Goldstein is the Editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, as well as Food Editor at Russian Life magazine. She is the author of several Russian cookbooks, including the 1993 Julia Child Award–winning The Georgian Feast, and in 1997, she received the Sophie Coe Subsidiary Prize in Food History. Goldstein is a Professor of Russian at Williams College in Massachusetts.

The Culinary Institute of America's tremendously popular Boot Camp courses help food and baking enthusiasts take their skills to a whole new level, offering hands-on, intensive instruction with some of the world's most talented chef-instructors.

In Baking Boot Camp, Julia Child Award-winning cookbook author Darra Goldstein takes you along as she embarks on two demanding Boot Camp courses, Baking and Pastry, where the fatigues are chef's whites and the weapons of choice are whisks, piping bags, and a bench scraper. Goldstein chronicles progress through each day of each course, bringing to life the intensity, the rigor, and the camaraderie that set Boot Camps apart from other cooking classes. Along the way, she reveals the tips and tricks of baking and pastry pros, sharing their fascinating insights with us on everything from the importance of weighing all ingredients to the secrets of perfect puff pastry. Throughout the book, more than 100 photographs by award-winning photographer Ben Fink vividly capture the excitement of the program.

Learn alongside Goldstein and her fellow students as they watch demonstrations, practice new skills, and receive critiques from their exacting instructors. You'll discover the hands-on skills and secrets you need to perfect your cookies, pies, cakes, and breads, as you build the know-how and confidence to tackle more demanding creations such as profiteroles, eclairs, mousses, and souffles. To help you put these lessons to work in your own kitchen, the book includes nearly eighty delicious Boot Camp recipes - everything you need to start using professional techniques and embark on a lifetime of baking success.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Chapter One: ORIENTATION.

Orientation Begins.

Navigating the Campus.

Our Boot Camp Gear.

Chapter Two: THE CREAMING METHOD.

Chef Kate and the Day’s Production.

Into the Bake Shop.

Afternoon Lecture: Bread.

Dinner at Ristorante Caterina de' Medici.

Chapter Three: THE RUBBED DOUGH METHOD.

Ensuring Tender, Flaky Crusts.

Pie Fillings and Meringues.

Making Our Own Crust.

Beyond the CIA Campus.

Dinner at the Escoffier Room.

Chapter Four: ENRICHED DOUGHS.

The Role of Butter, Eggs, and Milk in Doughs.

Making Challah.

Baking as a Process.

Afternoon Lecture: Baking Science.

Dinner at the American Bounty Restaurant.

Chapter Five: LEAN DOUGHS.

The Day’s Production.

Baking Boot Camp Graduation and Going Home.

Chapter Six: CUSTARDS.

The First Session.

Chef Paul Demonstrates.

Dessert Before Lunch.

Dinner at St. Andrew's Café.

Chapter Seven: THE FOAMING METHOD.

Using Eggs as Leavening.

Fruit Tarts.

Afternoon Lecture: Chocolate.

Dinner at the Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici.

Chapter Eight: PUFF PASTRY.

Laminated Doughs.

Buttercream.

Afternoon Lecture: Dessert Wines.

Dinner at the Escoffier Room.

Chapter Nine: MOUSSE AND BAVARIAN CREAM.

Bavarian Creams and Mousses.

Shaping Puff Pastry.

Afternoon Lecture: Coffee and Tea Tasting.

Dinner at the American Bounty Restaurant.

Chapter Ten: QUICK AND ELEGANT DESSERTS.

DecorativeChocolate Shapes.

Dessert Sauces.

Decorating Cakes.

Soufflés.

Pastry Boot Camp Graduation.

Chapter Eleven: WHAT WE BAKED.

Quick Breads and Cakes.

Yeast Breads.

Cookies.

Pies and Tarts.

Desserts.

Pastries.

Sauces, Glazes, and Creams.

Conversions and Equivalents.

Index.

Benefactors.