Menu PlanningWhat is menu planning?Defined as a process by which menus are planned.

What is the purpose of a menu?To reflect the overall style of the restaurant

What is a menu?• List of dishes that are available to be

served at a meal.

What is the function of a menu?• Communication • Marketing• Information – Customer

- Staff

Communication• inform them of what is offered• let them know about the preparation

styles currently in fashion• to tempt the guest to try something

he/she might not have thought of trying• to encourage conversation about your

menu and style of food.

Menu’s should therefore:• accommodate a wide range of dietary needs

and culinary preferences• accommodate the current trends in dining.

For example, there is an increasing trend towards healthy eating, while heavily sauced food has fallen out of favour

• be sufficiently innovative to appeal to the most adventurous eaters, while accommodating the more conservative ones

• give enough information to enable guests to make an informed choice

Factors influencing menu planning:• Customer preferences• Number of customers to be served• Nutritional needs based on age, gender,

activity levels• Food habits• Season and availability• Pleasing combinations (gastronomic

aspects)

Formal DinnerWhat is a formal dinner?• Sit down dinner• Special occasions• Silverware placed on table, in order

Menu planning for formal dinners:• Courses carefully planned• Courses – smaller• - spread out• 5/8/10/12/21 courses

Table d’hôte menu• Limited choice

Classical vs. ModernClassical

Hors d’oeuvre (appetizer)Potage (soup)Oeufs (eggs)Farineaux (rice & pasta)Poisson (fish)Entrée (entry of 1st meat course)Sorbet (flavoured water)Reléve (meat course)Rôti (roast)Légumes (vegetables)Salades (salad)Buffet Froid (cold buffet)Entremet de sûcre (sweets)Savoureaux (savoury)Fromage (cheese)Desserts (fresh fruits & nuts)

ModernStarterSoup

Fish

Sorbet

Main dish: meat/poultry

Dessert

Cheese

HORS D’OEUVRE

• Aimed to stimulate appetite• Composed of tangy and salty dishes• Small portion sizes, to set off the palate• Potato salad, Caesar salad, Russian salad, caviar,• smoked salmon, oysters, etc.

CLASSICS

• Caviar served with blinis, butter, lemon wedges, sieved • egg whites and yolks, chopped shallots and parsley • Chilled melon served with castor sugar and ground • ginger • Oysters with cayenne pepper, Tabasco and chilli vinegar, • lemon wedges and brown bread and butter • Smoked salmon with lemon wedges, onion rings, capers, • lettuce garnish, brown bread and butter • Snails with melted butter and bread cubes

POTAGE• Refers to soups • Two types – clear (consommé) and thick (cream, veloute or • puree)• Clear soups usually listed first • Borscht, Ox tail, French onion, Clam chowder, Mulligatawny, • Gazpacho

• CLASSICS• Consommé Julienne – garnished with strips of root vegetables • Consommé Celestine – garnished with strips of savoury • pancakes • Petite marmite – beef and chicken flavoured consommé • Soup a l’oignon – clear onion soup • Borscht – duck flavoured consommé

POISSON

• Normally poached/steamed/baked fish • Served with appropriate sauce and boiled vegetables • Certain farinaceous dishes like risotto, pastas or gnocchi may• be served in place of fish • Egg dishes may also be served instead, especially during lunch

CLASSICS

• Meuniere – fish shallow fried in butter • Veronique – in white wine sauce, garnished with white grapes • Bonne femme – in white wine sauce with mushrooms • Lobster Newberg – with thickened sauce of fish stock and• cream, flavoured with brandy and marsala, finished with butter • Fried fish with tartar sauce

ENTRÉE

• The first of the meat course in the sequence • Usually compete in itself • Does not have much accompaniments, if at all • Very small and light • Pan fried goose liver, carpaccio, vol au vents

CLASSICS

• Poulet saute chasseur – chicken in rich brown sauce flavoured • with tomato and mushroom • Minced chicken with savoury rice• Chicken liver with savoury rice• Steak Diane - minute steak shallow fried and flavoured with• onion and mushroom finished with red wine sauce or cream

RELEVEE

• Larger joints of meat • Usually grilled or braised • Served with accompanying sauce, potatoes and vegetables• Butchers’ cut – need to be carved

CLASSICS • Roast leg of pork with apple sauce • Gigot d’aigneau – roast lef of lamb with mint sauce • Roast ribs of beef with horseradish sauce • Roast sirloin of beef

SORBET

• Intended to give a pause in the middle of the meal • It settles the dishes already consumed and stimulates appetite • for the following dishes • It is water ice flavoured with champagne or fruit puree or any• Liqueur• Usually served in a champagne saucer• People may break for cigars or cigarettes during this course

ROTI• • Consists of roast poultry or game • Chicken, duck, turkey, pheasant, partridge• Served with accompanying sauces or gravy• A dress salad is usually served along

LEGUME

• The French usually serve vegetables as a separate course• Asparagus with hollandaise sauce, artichokes with garlic • mayonnaise, butter tossed Brussels sprouts etc.• Now days these dishes are had as appetisers

CLASSICS

• Pommes lyonnaise – sauté potatoes blended with shallow fried • shredded onions • Petit pois a la francaise – peas, button onions, diced bacon • and shredded lettuce in a thickened sauce • Champignons grille – grilled mushrooms • Choufleur polonaise – cauliflower garnished with a mixture of• fried bread crumbs, sieved egg white and yolk and parsley • Haricots verts au beurre – French beans tossed in butter

ENTREMETS • This is what we know today as ‘dessert’ • Consists of hot sweet hot dish such as souffle, rum omelette• Cold desserts are newer, modern versions of this course• Petit fours are usually served with this course

CLASSICS

• Crepes Suzette – pancakes with orange sauce • Crepes Georgette – pancakes with pineapple sauce • Jam omelettes• Rum omelettes• Peche Melba – poached peach copated with raspberry jam• sauce topped with vanilla ice cream • Pineapples flamed with Kirtsch

SAVOUREUX

• Consists of a tid bit on a hot canape of toast or fried• bread• Welsh rarebit, bruschetta etc. • Now days usually served as appetisers • Alternatively cheese platter may be presented with crackers,• watercress, walnuts etc.

CLASSICS

• Welsh rarebit – cheese sauce flavoured with ale on toast and• gratinated • Scotch woodcock – scrambled egg on toast decorated with• capers and anchovies • Canape Diane – chicken liver rolled in bacon and grilled,• placed on warm toast • Champignons sur croute – mushrooms on toast

DESSERT

• This is the final course • Consists of fresh fruits and nuts • Sometimes placed on the table as a decoration

Banquet

• What is a banquet?– Formal/informal– Def: ceremonial dinner party for a large number of people– Breakfast– Luncheons– Dinner– Cocktail parties– Weddings– End of year functions

Compiling a banquet menu

• Keep the following in mind:– Serve food quickly– Avoid heavy garnishes (time consuming)– Don’t let food stand for too long

Menu Planning for banquet luncheon or dinner

• Sit down• Luncheon– 3 or more courses

• Dinner– opportunity to excel– 4 courses and coffee

Cocktail functions

• What is a cocktail function?– Cocktail party– Informal/casual, friendly get togethers– No sit down– Light hors d’oeuvres

Menu Planning for Cocktail party

• All elements of menu planning are relevant• Include:– Hot and cold items– Baked and fried– Keep flavour, colour and texture in mind– Small, easy to eat hot and cold bites

• Quantity• Make sure there is enough• Amount of food depends on:

– Type of function– Duration of function– Variety of food

– Chips and nuts are not included– 6 pieces per hour 1st hour – 4 pieces for 2nd hour– 10 – 20 guests – 6 different hors d’oeuvres– +20 guests – 8-10 different– Try not to repeat main ingredients

TYPE OF PARTY NUMBER OF BITESPre-dinner nibbles 3-5 pieces per person

Two or three hour cocktail party 3-5 pieces per hour per person

Full length part – four hours 12-15 pieces of finger food