MENU PLANNING - 1

EHL
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
 The student should be able to
understand:

a) The importance of a menu

b) What’s a menu?
c) The 2 kind of menus
d) The page set up
e) The spelling and pleonasms
f) The repetitions in the menu
g) The structuring and compiling of
the menu
h) Composing and drawing of menus
respecting all the rules.
WHAT’S THE IMPORTANCE OF A
MENU IN THE GASTRONOMIE?

 Whether it is posted at the

entrance of a restaurant,
placed on the tables, or
handed to guests by the
service staff, a menu is a kind
of visiting card of every
establishment.
WHAT’S THE MEANING OF “MENU” ?

 The term « menu » has two

distinct meanings in
French. It is used to refer to
the series of courses which
make up a meal, and also to
the written menu itself,
which is known in French
as « à la carte ».
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF
MENU!

 The set menu, also called

in French » table d’hôte
menu » - with a fixed
price.

 The menu card which has

a choice of dishes – each
dish has it’s own price.
PAGE SET UP

What’s a page set

up?
PAGE SET UP

The page set up is the correct

presentation of a set menu or
an à la carte menu.

 The name of the

establishment and if
applicable its emblem or its
logo.

 The date

 The main heading

 The main part of the menu

PAGE SET UP
 Name and address: on the top left - no area code – the
city should be underlined

 Date: on the top right – in full - never use abreviations

in a date – no comma after the day

 No commas in a heading of a dish – use the prepositions

« with » and « and » – but never the same one twice on
the same line.

 Main heading: Lunch or Dinner – the heading Menu

only refers if the dishes are served at lunch and dinner

 The main part of the menu: Separate each course with

stars or dashes (always in uneven numbers - 3 or 5)

 The menu always ends up with the dessert – after the

dessert no more stars or dashes
THE SPELLING

 The use of capital and lower

case letters

 Cheese

 The term hors-d’oeuvre

THE USE OF CAPITAL AND LOWER CASE
(SMALL) LETTERS
 Capital and small letters are
used in menus mostly as they
are in English: common
nouns (words /names) are
written with with a small
letter and proper nouns
(words / names) take a
capital, including fantasy
names which have been
invented for certain dishes.
THE SPELLING
 Rules to start with capital letter:

1. First letter of the line or dish

2. Proper names of persons

3. Proper names of origine

(countries, regions, cities)

4. Proper names of brands

5. Fantasy names

6. Names of religious festive days and public

holidays
 Dish correct written on two lines in a set menu

Incorrect written on 2 lines:

Loin of veal from the farm roasted with

mushrooms and artichoke bottoms

Loin of veal from the farm

roasted with mushrooms and artichoke bottoms

Corrected written on 2 lines:

Roast loin of veal from the farm

with mushrooms and artichoke bottoms
Dish correct written on two lines in a set menu

Incorrect written on 2 lines:

Smoked norwegian salmon with

creamed horseradish

Smoked salmon from Norway

With creamed horseradish

Corrected written on 2 lines:

Smoked salmon from Norway
with creamed horseradish
CHEESE

 All cheese are written with a

small letter –

 except if the origin of the

cheese is mentioned
HORS-D’OEUVRE

 The culinary term

« hors-d’oeuvre « 
is invariable.
Never an (s) at the end- its
never written in plural.
REPETITIONS IN A SET MENU

 Never repeat:

 Same word

 Same preparation method

 Same ingredient, etc.

PLEONASMS

 What’s a pleonasm?
PLEONASMS

 A pleonasm is a word or a
phrase that is redundant. In
culinary descriptions, some
words or expressions have the
same meaning and should not
be used together.
Examples:
 Clear consommé

 Minestrone soup

 Other examples in the Menu

Planning guide book!
 CLASSICAL CULINARY TERMS

Examples:


(à
 la) portugaise - in the style of…
(à la) milanaise


(à la) niçoise - in the fashion of…



(à la) vaudoise


others - in the book



These
 endings are always in the feminin form – they
are in a way a method of preparation and therefore
must be written with a small letter at all times!
 THE FRAMEWORK OF THE MENU

 What’s a framework of the menu?

THE CORRECT FRAMEWORK OF THE MENU

 The menu presents all the

dishes with their
garnishes that make up
the different courses of a
meal.
TO HOW MANY PERSONS IS A MENU
ADRESSED TOO?

 Remember, a menu is
always addressed to
one person only.
 EXERCISE 1
(SPELLING. PRESENTATION & STRUCTURING)

Menu

Grilled Scallops with Sweet potatoes,

Chorizos and lemon Grass sauce
***
Salad of parma ham, Gorgonzola and
Spring Onions
***
Sautéd Medallions of veal, Morel sauce
Asparagus Ragout
Gratin Dauphinois
***
Lemon Flan,Cinnamon Ice Cream
Passion Fruit Coulis
 Correction -Exercise 1
(Spelling. Presentation & Structuring)
Hôtel EHL Monday December 8th 2009
Lausanne
Lunch / Dinner

Salad of Parma ham

with gorgonzola and spring onions
***
Grilled scallops with sweet potatoes
and chorizo
Lemon grass dressing
***
Sautéed medallions of veal with morel sauce
Buttered noodles
Asparagus ragoût
***
Panna cotta flan with cinnamon ice-cream
Coulis of passion fruit
 THAT’S ALL FOLK’S

I hope you have enjoyed this lesson and should you

have any other questions related and concerned with
Menu Planning – do not hesitate to get in touch with
me.

 It was for me a great pleasure to have you in my class.

 Thank you very much for your attention and applause!

 Have a nice day and see you soon in other theoretical

or practical lessons.