The French Classical Menu

Chapter 1 contd..a

Hors d’oeuvre
First course of French Classical Menu
Can be classified as –
 Hors d’oeuvre Varies
 Salads
 Cocktails
 Canapes

 Single or Classical Hors d’oeuvre

Caviar , Oysters, Snails , Smoked Salmon, Grapefruit,
Melon, Goose liver Paste, Gull Eggs, Asparagus, Corn on the
Cob, Globe Artichoke
Hors d’oeuvre Varies
 It comprises of spicy and tangy food that enhance the
appetite
 They have to be in bite size & are usually made from
leftovers from thee main course which can be freshly
transferred into spiced dressings or deep fried or barbequed
after basic marination , these are also called Non Classical
Hors d’oeuvre
 All non classical starters come with a common
accompaniment of the oil & vinegar , cruet & brown bread &
butter . Some of the well known example in this category are

Salads
 Creamed Beet root – these are batons of par boiled beetroot
mixed with cream French & English mustard, sharpened with
lime juice & peppercorns
 Pickled Red Cabbage – Juliennes of red cabbage covered
with spiced old vinegar overnight & served chilled .
 Cauliflower Andalouse - Florets of cauliflower par boiled
flavoured with English mustard & tomato puree & thyme
pepper
 Marinated Mushroom – Cook in a mixture of vinegar , garlic
,thyme , fennel , bay leaf , sliced button mushroom ,
refrigerate & serve chilled.
 Roll Mops – These are Herrings cut into fillets and further
into paupiette rolled & packed into jars covered with vinegar
, white wine , onion rings , pepper corns & bay leaf for 2-3
days & served chilled.
 Bismark Herring – These are rolled mops stacked in jar , not
rolled but straight, otherwise prepared and served
similarly.(Herring – Hilasa)
 Canned Anchovy – Norwegian anchovy are spiced, brined &
canned
 Sardine a la crème – Sardines coated with mustard flavour
acidulated cream.

 Egg Mayonnaise – Quarters of boiled eggs on base of lettuce

covered with mayonnaise with extra pepper powder & lime
juice added .
 Ham Cornets – Triangular piece of slices of Ham made into a
cone & stuffed with spiced Ham puree & served on lettuce
leaf.
 Pork Trotters – Cut trotters into juliennes mixed with
mustard flavour french dressing , juliennes of gherkins and
Pimentos .
Service & Cover
 Generally served from trolleys or from Hor d’oeuvre platter
with spoon provided with each starter for sampling & the
guest choice are later pre plated onto half plate .
 Fish Knife & fish fork or Small Knife & Small fork as per the
requirement of the dish.

Cocktails
 Cocktails & juices are served as starters include such juices that
are citric in nature or can be spiced and served in club goblets,
chilled on a doily covered under liner with a tea spoon passed .
 Grapefruit Cocktail – consisting of grapefruit juice & lime juice ,
it contains fragments of grapefruit served chilled.
Accompaniment – Castor sugar.
 Melon Cocktail – Melon scooped into round balls served with
lemon / lime juice spiced with ground ginger and castor sugar.
Accompaniments – Castor sugar , ground ginger and salted
Parma Ham ( italian)
 Cocktail Florida – Grapefruit juice / orange/lime juice
mixed with segments of grape fruit & oranges, garnished
with a cherry and a lime
Accompaniment – Castor sugar
 Mixed fruit Cocktail – Dices of pineapple , oranges ,
grapefruit & grapes with grapefruit juice and lime juice
 Spiced Tomato juice – Chilled tomato juice served with salt,
pepper, lime, Worcestershire sauce & Tabasco sauce.

 Shell fish Cocktail – Most popular is prawn and shrimp

cocktail served in Champagne saucer on a bed of shredded
lettuce . The glass is lined with roundels of boiled eggs ,
boiled shelled prawns or shrimps which are placed at the
centre and covered with cocktail sauce , garnished with a
lemon wedge .
Canapes
Canapes are Hors d’oeuvre which constitutes of open face
sandwiches that have a base of bread toasted or plain cut into
various shapes of bite size , they have a layer of mayonnaise ,
butter , cheese or peanut butter on it is placed the body of
canape which also gives its name , they are garnished to give
eye appeal . Canape are served 3-4 per person usually always
assorted & the most common canapes served as starters are
tuna, smoked Herring, Haddock , Ham, chicken ,salmon,
egg, cucumber, cheese , bacon , tomato
Cover – small knife , small fork or fish knife , fish fork
Accompaniments – oil, vinegar ,cruet ,brown bread & butter

Classical Hors d’oeuvre

They are also called Single Hors d’oeuvre as they are never
assorted , they have a unique set of accompaniments . They
have a standardizes service which cannot be deviated they are
amongst the most expensive items sometime costing more
than the main course
 Caviar – are the roe ( group of eggs ) of sturgeon fish . The
best coming from the black Beluga of the Caspian and Red
sea. The fish is gutted while it is still alive .
Salted & packed into special tins (lacquer lined) in factories.
There are 3 types of caviar
 Malossal ( Russian word – little salt ) – These are round egg
from the prime fishing season are considered the best among
caviar
 Fresh salted Caviar – these are the smaller eggs during the
end of season these come in second category
 Broken Caviar – consists of damaged egg used in salads ,
cheaper quality

Caviar can also be classified on the colour of eggs & quality they
are –
 Black eggs of Beluga
 Grey eggs of Beluga
 Orange eggs of the ossetra
 Yellow /green eggs of the Sevruga
 Other fish roe – salmon , steelhead, trout, lumpfish, carp,
white fish , other species of sturgeon.
Classical accompaniments for caviar
 Blinis – buck wheat pancake
 Chopped shallots , chopped parsley
 Crème fraiche ( soured cream ) ,chilli vinegar,
tabasco sauce
 Chives, red onions , sieved hard boiled egg yolk
/white
 ½ lemon tied in muslin cloth , melted butter
 Cayenne pepper , Pepper mill
 Toast or baguette ( thin loaf of french bread )

Cover
 Traditionally served in silver timbale filled with crushed ice ,
finger bowls placed at each corner ,with Caviar spoons
which are traditionally made of inert materials, such
as animal horn, mother of pearl, and wood They range in
length from 7 to 13 cm (2.7 to 5 in), and have a small
shallow bowl that may be either oval or paddle shaped.
 There is a custom that caviar should not be served with a
metal spoon, because metal may impart an undesirable
flavour. Timbale can be put on a half plate,caviar knife or fish
knife
 Can be served with Champagne or Vodka..1 ounce per
portion ( 30 gm approx)
Caviar with Champagne

Caviar tin served in Silver Timbale on bed of ice with

accompaniments Bilini, shallots etc

Mother of Pearl

Caviar Knife
Caviar Spoon
Oysters – le huitre’s
They are served 6 per portion ,Oysters are
opened in larder a few minutes before
being served , its placed in the deep half of
the shell, black ring (beard) around the
edge of the shell is removed , they are
placed on a bed of ice in an oyster
dish/soup plate/round silver flat

Classical accompaniments for Oyster

Oyster cruet which consists of
 cayenne pepper,
pepper mill ,
shallot (mignonette)/ chilli vinegar,
tabasco sauce
 brown bread & butter ,half lemon tied in muslin
cloth
Cover

 Oyster fork placed on the tip of the

large knife/joint knife at 45⁰ angle .
 Oyster plate on a large plate as
underliner or flat or soup plate
 If Oyster fork is not available a fish fork
shall replace

Oyster plate Oyster served on bed of ice

Oyster Fork
 Snails – le’s escorgots
Edible snails are served 6 -8 per person usually only those
snails that have sealed themselves in their shells for
hibernation & which have been deprived of food for 2-3
weeks are chosen for eating . They are placed in a snail dish
with their opening facing the top & just prior to service hot
garlic butter shall be poured into the openings
 Cover – Snail dish on doily covered half plate , snail fork on
the right & snail tong on the left .
 Accompaniments – Hot breakfast toast, hot garlic butter & a
lemon wedge

Snail tong

Snail preparations

Snail fork & dish

 Smoked Salmon – Saumon fume’
Salmon is migratory fish that lives in deep sea but travels up
the river stream to hatch in fresh water . Mature salmon can
grow up to a metre long . Fillets of salmon are smoked over
hard wood in controlled conditions for over 72 hours before
then smoked edges are trimmed & thin slices of the fillet are
specially packed so as to be exported with a shelf value of
almost 6 months .
 Accompaniments – Cayenne pepper , pepper mill , tabasco ,
brown bread & butter, half a lemon tied in muslin cloth
 Cover – fish knife & fish fork

Salmon fillet served in half plate with Salmon getting smoked

accompaniments
 The salient feature of salmon service is that it is served using
a single fork ,the thin fillets are inserted on the prongs ,
rolled up & then unrolled on to the guest plate, something
that require extreme high skill.

Grape fruit – Pample Mousse

 Half the grapefruit is placed in a grape fruit cup on a doily
covered under plate with castor sugar sprinkled on top may
be served as an Hors d’oeuvre . The segments are loosened
using a specially serrated grapefruit knife . It is eaten with a
grapefruit spoon which is also serrated unlike most of the
spoons
 Accompaniment – Castor sugar
Grapefruit half served in grapefruit
cup segments loosened with Grape fruit
serrated grapefruit spoon

Melon -- Melon
Special varities of melon can be served , can include large
melon like Casaba, Persian, Christmas,Honey dew & small
melon like Canteloupe – they are distinct because of
tanginess of their juice .
 Accompaniments – Powdered dried ginger, castor sugar &
parma ham
 Cover – melon coupe on doily covered under liner with a tea
spoon passed
 Cantaloupe - Melon

Asparagus - Asperges
 It can be served as a starter or as a legume course . Only
tender tips are considered edible , 3-4 pieces may be served
on a asparagus rack usually boiled or steamed
 Accompaniments –
 when served hot Hollandaise sauce ,
 Beurre fondue ( hot melted butter)
 When served cold mayonnaise or vinaigrette
 Cover - An asparagus tong on the right if not available AP
knife & AP fork . An extra fork placed inverted under the
plate to tilt the plate in one direction . So when the butter is
poured it collects on the tips.
 Asparagus
knife
Asparagus
tong

Asparagus service pair

Asparagus served in half plate

Corn on the Cob - épi de maïs

Served grilled or boiled , the ends of the cob are cut , corn
holder are held into both ends & they are placed on half plate
for service
 Accompaniments – Brown bread, hollandaise sauce or
beurre fondue
 Cover – Half plate , 2 corn holders
 Corn on the cob holder

Corn on the cob

Globe Artichoke - artichaut

 English vegetable like asparugus can be served as both
starter and legume course . They are diced par boiled &
served on a half plate .
 Accompaniments – when served hot – hollandaise , when
served cold - mayonnaise
 Cover – AP knife & AP fork , half plate
Globe artichoke

Goose liver paste – pâte de foie gras

 Literally means paste of fattened goose liver , the best pate
come from Gascony region in France where geese are reared
, fattened up only for the pate . The goose liver paste is spiced
& set into special moulds , refrigerated for 2-3 days . From
the moulds using a warm tea spoon cubes of pate may be
neatly cut , 4 pieces are served per portion as a classical
starters
 Accompaniments – Brown Bread or butter or hot breakfast
toast
 Cover – Half plate , small knife & fork , extra tea spoon and a
dish for service …Terrine ( pate made in pottery container)
 Pate de foie d’ oie

Quail eggs -oeufs de caille

3 eggs ( hard boiled) may be served per portion with top
half shell may be removed & plated on a bed parsley or
watercress arranged to look like a nest,
 Accompaniments – Brown bread , spiced oriental salt
(Cayenne pepper : Common salt ::1:4)
 Cover – AP knife & AP fork
Quail Eggs