The art of chaud-froid

Students bent over their work
for two days to learn the art of chaud-froid.

by Katrina Simmons
When was the last time you headed to the kitchen with an Exacto knife and a pair of tweezers? Under the tutelage of Chef Dan Notley, students recently bent their backs to a lesson on chaud-froid. They practiced this painstaking process over the course of two days, first poaching the chicken then cooling it before applying a coating of béchamel sauce. They cooled the art-in-progress again to exactly the right temperature before applying an aspic glaze. 

Between the béchamel and glaze coats, they blanched colorful vegetables before shaving them into paper-thin wafers. Shaping the pieces carefully with a blade, they transferred each to the chicken, the white sauce acting as a canvas to inspire their creativity. Flowers, fish-like scales, abstract design – imagination and the medley of veggies available were their only limitations. Oh yes, and the flexibility and strength of their backs.