Combining traditional and modern cooking techniques with plant-based ingredients
The Diploma in Plant-Based Culinary Arts - Cuisine focusses on crafting excellent dishes solely from plants, providing a creative repertoire of product knowledge, skills and recipes. As one of our Diplomas in Plant-Based Culinary Arts, this diploma is complimented by the Diploma in Plant-Based Culinary Arts - Pâtisserie, which can be studied prior to or following this diploma.
Professional culinary skills and product knowledge include knife skills along with in-depth techniques for preparing a wide range of vegetables from a variety of plant classifications. Students engage in Le Cordon Bleu's methods of teaching which includes chef demonstrations followed by practical applications, providing them with the opportunity to hone their skills of food preparation. The teaching is centred on cooking methods for specific ingredients and encompasses a wide range of techniques including sautéing, cooking sous-vide, pressure cooking, grilling and baking, to name a few. Variety, texture, structure and presentation are assessed particularly in the skills section.
Throughout the programme students build a solid foundation of fundamental culinary skills, with topics including stocks, sauces, soups, preservation, fermentation and dehydration, along with speciality techniques such as making tofu and sprouting. An essential component of this programme is product knowledge of oils, vinegars, herbs and spices, which will form key components to complex recipes as the Plant-Based Cuisine programme develops.
The Vegetable and Plant Food sections of the course focus specifically on vegetables. Each session will look at specific ingredients according to their classification and students will learn a vast range of recipes where products from each variety of the classification are the main component of a dish. Over the course of the unit, root vegetables, flowers, bulbs, vegetable fruits, fungi, stems, tubers and sea vegetables will be explored. Each session will emphasise a particular group of products. For Plant Food, categories include, legumes, beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds, soya products, and grains.
The Diploma in Plant-Based Culinary Arts - Cuisine focuses on ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds; wholefoods with minimal processing, which are explored in relation to flavours, textures and global cuisines. Chef demonstrations, practical sessions and workshops with sensory evaluation assessment will be included, with an emphasis on practical skills. The programme aims to develop the required skills, techniques and competencies of professional culinary arts specific to vegetables and plants, along with insight into innovation, culture and gastronomy.
The emphasis on plant ingredients is centred on whole foods, minimally processed and the application of excellent culinary techniques which enhance the flavours, textures and nutrients of plant-based dishes. Throughout the programme, sources of protein, soy products, grains and nuts, and seeds are identified, with various cooking techniques applied to each, including sautéing, roasting, grilling, baking, raw preparation and product development skills. As the programme progresses participants will hone complex skills by drawing on multiple processes, ingredient substitution and recipe development along with presentation skills and design.
Students will assess an extensive range of vegetables and, along with product knowledge, they will learn a variety of recipes, plating skills and cuisine techniques in conjunction with developing sensory skills and balancing flavours. Emphasis will also be placed on professional kitchen teamwork and organisation, time management skills, organisation, and recipe construction and writing.
Sustainability, dietary and environmental lectures will provide foundational knowledge to enhance the learnings, along with an interactive online platform where participants can engage in theoretical content.
2 intakes each year: Spring and Autumn.
