© Eilis Flood 1 Meal Planning Chapter 5 Meal Planning

© Eilis Flood 2 Meal Planning Factors that affect meal planning 1.Dietary restrictions. 2.Nutrition. 3.Amount of time available to shop and cook. 4.Money/equipment available. 5.Climate and the availability of foods in season.  Cold weather: Hot dishes such as stew.  Hot weather: Cold dishes such as salads. 6. Ability of the cook. 7. Occasion.

© Eilis Flood 3 Meal Planning Meals Main meals are usually divided into courses. 1. Starter or appetiser This course should be something tasty and not too filling. 2. Main course A meat, fish or vegetarian dish is central to this course. Accompaniments are also served. 3. Dessert or cheese board Hot or cold desserts. A cheese board. Tea or coffee.

© Eilis Flood 4 Meal Planning Menus There are basically two types of menu: Table d’hôte. À la carte.

© Eilis Flood 5 Meal Planning Table d’hôte menus Table d’hôte is a set-price menu, usually cheaper than the à la carte menu, although you pay the full menu price even if you do not have all the courses. Two to five courses are usually on offer, with a limited number of dishes to choose from for each course (see sample on next slide).

© Eilis Flood 6 Meal Planning Table d’hôte menu Starters Pan-fried garlic mushrooms Bruschetta Toasted ciabatta bread topped with tomato, basil and olive oil Deep-fried brie with red onion relish Main course Pork medallions Medallions of pork fillet, pan fried with julienne of onion, peppers and mushroom in a pepper sauce Poached salmon Fillet of salmon poached in a light cream sauce Vegetable risotto Chicken Piri Piri Char-grilled corn-fed chicken fillet in a lemon and chilli sauce Sample table d’hôte menu Desserts Meringue nest with fresh fruit Profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce Hot apple pie served with fresh cream or ice cream Tea or coffee Price €38

© Eilis Flood 7 Meal Planning À la carte menus On an à la carte menu, each item is priced separately. The menu may be several pages long, with a separate page with lots to choose from for each course (see the sample on the next slide).

© Eilis Flood 8 Meal Planning À la carte Starters Pan-fried garlic mushrooms€4.50 Home-made roasted winter vegetable soup€3.75 Bruschetta Toasted ciabatta bread topped with tomato, basil and olive oil €3.75 Tiger prawns in filo pastry Tossed in garlic butter and served with a sweet and sour dip€7.25 Deep-fried brie with red onion relish€5.25 Greek salad Fresh vine tomatoes with peppers, onions, cucumber with feta cheese and oregano dressing €5.25 Sample starter page from an à la carte menu

© Eilis Flood 9 Meal Planning Rules for writing a menu Write down the centre of the page. List courses in the order they are eaten. Write the main dish of the course first and then the accompaniments. Leave a line or place a motif between courses. Describe dishes in some detail: give the cut of meat or fish and the cooking method, such as ‘roast loin of pork’.

© Eilis Flood 10 Meal Planning Buffets When catering for large numbers, such as a twenty-first birthday party, a buffet is often best. Food should be laid out in a logical way, with drinks served at a separate table.

© Eilis Flood 11 Meal Planning Buffet foods Hot main courseSaladsDessertsOther Beef, vegetable or chicken curry; pizza, quiche, cocktail sausages, chilli con carne, chicken à la king Cold meat salads, e.g. ham, turkey slices; Waldorf salad, pasta salad, potato salad, rice salad, coleslaw Cheesecake, fresh fruit flans, mousse, fruit salad and cream, apple and rhubarb crumble or tart Boiled rice, rolls, bread, salad dressings

© Eilis Flood 12 Meal Planning Formal table setting Everything should be spotless and should match if possible. Fill clean salt and pepper containers (condiments). Keep flower arrangements low. Place a jug of iced water on the table just before the meal begins. Cutlery used first is on the outside. When serving, serve food to the left of the person eating and clear empty plates from the right.

© Eilis Flood 13 Meal Planning Planning a meal Once you have decided what you are going to cook, you now have to shop for the ingredients, store them correctly before use and then prepare the meal using an effective time or work plan.

© Eilis Flood 14 Meal Planning Shopping for food 1.Shop for food only once a week. 2.Make out a shopping list. 3.Buy food in clean shops with a large variety of goods and a high turnover. 4.Stick to your shopping list. 5.Avoid pre-packed fruit, vegetables and meat. 6.Check use-by dates and that food in supermarket freezer cabinets is stored below –18°C and below the load line. 7.Pack foods away at home as soon as possible after purchase.

© Eilis Flood 15 Meal Planning Time/work plans Both time and work plans list all the tasks involved in preparing, cooking and serving a meal in the order it makes sense to carry them out. Time plans, unlike work plans (see Chapter 9), include specific times. Basically, with both you work out how long it will take to make the various dishes on your menu and begin with the dish that takes the longest to make.

© Eilis Flood 16 Meal Planning Presenting food Before we taste food, we see it. How food is presented is very important. All tableware must be spotlessly clean. Wipe spills from dishes or plates before bringing them to the table. Garnish or decorate food attractively, but do not overdo it.

© Eilis Flood 17 Meal Planning Garnishing and decorating food Garnish: Savoury foods. Decorate: Sweet foods.

© Eilis Flood 18 Meal Planning Garnishes Garnishes can either take the form of items placed on or beside food, such as lemon twists, or sauces, such as fillet steak with peppered sauce. Lemon and lime loops Spring onion tassel Lemon/lime twist Julienne strips HerbsTomato rosesTomato collar

© Eilis Flood 19 Meal Planning Dishes and their suggested accompaniments/garnishes DishSuggested garnish SoupParsley, swirl of cream, croutons Fish Lemon wedges or twists, tartar sauce, tomato roses LambMint sprigs, mint sauce TurkeyCranberry sauce BeefHorseradish PorkApple sauce DuckOrange sauce, orange twists

© Eilis Flood 20 Meal Planning Desserts can be decorated with a fruit coulis and a sprig of mint.

© Eilis Flood 21 Meal Planning Piped cream. Pastry decorations. Fruit. Sugar-based decorations. Icing. Sweet dishes are decorated in lots of other ways Piped cream Glacé icing (feathering) Strawberry fans

© Eilis Flood 22 Meal Planning

© Eilis Flood 23 Meal Planning 1. List six factors that affect meal planning. 2. Name the three most common courses in a meal and give two examples of dishes suited to each course. 3. What are the two main types of menu? 4. List the five main rules for writing menus. 5. When is a buffet most likely to be the chosen option? How should a buffet be laid out?

© Eilis Flood 24 Meal Planning 6.Describe six guidelines for a formal table setting. 7.List seven rules that should be followed when shopping for food. 8.What are time/work plans and what is their purpose? 9.Are savoury dishes garnished or decorated? 10.How would you garnish each of the following: (a) soup (b) fish (c) lamb (d) turkey (e) beef (f) pork (g) duck? 11.What is a fruit coulis? What is it normally used for? 12.Name three ways of decorating a sweet dish such as a cake or trifle.

© Eilis Flood 25 Meal Planning Assignment 10, p. 31 Now test yourself at