Pastry & Baking Fundamentals
The Garde Manger Station
Eleven Madison Park Operations
The Art of Plating
Sugar Art & Decorations
100

This French pastry term translates to "cabbage" because the dough looks like little cabbages when it puffs up in the oven.

What is Choux?

100

This station is responsible for all cold food preparations, including salads, sandwiches, and charcuterie.

What is Garde Manger?

100

This communal staff meal is served three times a day to foster community among the 200 employees.

What is Family Meal?

100

According to Chef Michael Laiskonis, the four essential elements of plating are Balance, Color, Shape, and this.

What is Texture?

100

This is the primary ingredient used to create complex caramel decorations.

What is sugar?

200

This process involves stabilizing ingredients, like combining room-temperature eggs with hot liquid, to create a base for recipes like pastry cream.

What is Tempering?

200

This term refers to a small piece of bread or pastry with a savory topping, often served at formal receptions.

What is a Canape?

200

Every dish at this 3-Michelin-star restaurant must meet these four criteria: Creative, Beautiful, Delicious, and...

What is Intentional?

200

This term refers to the empty space on a plate which should be used purposefully to draw the eye toward the food.

What is Negative Space?

200

You must brush the edges of the pan with this while cooking sugar to prevent crystallization.

What is water?

300

In this type of dough, the fat is blended more thoroughly into the flour until it resembles coarse cornmeal, making the crust less likely to get soggy.

What is Mealy Dough?

300

This specific type of forcemeat is light and delicate, made with lean meat, eggs, and cream for a smooth consistency.

What is a Mousseline?

300

This management meeting is held at 2:30 PM to discuss every guest's allergies, aversions, and special celebrations.

What is the Pre-shift (or Reso) meeting?

300

This pastry component is a Belgian cookie that comes out of the oven soft enough to be shaped into various decorative forms.

What is a Tuile?

300

This common kitchen tool is used to pull and create thin, delicate strands of caramel for garnishing desserts.

What is a fork?

400

This baking technique involves creating thin layers of dough and fat by folding and rolling butter into the dough repeatedly, often used for croissants.

What is Lamination?

400

This French term for cured meats comes from the words for "flesh" (chair) and "cooked" (cuit).

What is Charcuterie?

400

When a food critic is in the dining room, the kitchen prepares this many portions of each dish to ensure they serve the absolute best one.

What is six?

400

This type of sauce is made from a pureed fruit or vegetable and is used to add vibrant color to a plate.

What is a Coulis?

400

This decoration is created by drizzling warm caramel over the back of a bowl or mold.

What is a Caramel Cage?

500

This process, also known as pre-baking, is used for crusts that will be filled with wet ingredients or fillings that don't need to be cooked.

What is Blind Baking?

500

This cutting technique shapes vegetables into an oblong, football-like shape with exactly seven sides.

What is Tournée (or a Tournée cut)?

500

The restaurant's signature Maitake skewer is inspired by this classic Japanese technique used to create a specific bread-like texture.

What is Namafu?

500

To avoid scratching plates and leaving marks on white linens, the kitchen uses these on the pass during plating.

What are soft surfaces (or plating mats)?

500

This is the preferred non-stick, heat-resistant surface for piping or pouring caramel patterns.

What is a silicone mat (or parchment paper)?

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