Menu Notes and Edible Portion

Menu Types Static menu is a menu that offers the same dishes everyday Cycle Menu-Changes everyday for a certain period of time then rotates Ala Carte Menu-each individual item is listed separately Prix Fixe menu-Menu is listed at a fixed price but you may choose one selection from each course Tasting Menu-is offered in addition to regular menu but gives the guest an opportunity to try a large variety of items in smaller portions

Du Jour daily menu California-all meals available any time of day Fixed-same items everyday Table D Hote-similar to prix fixe menu but has more choices

Courses in Menus A course is a food or group of foods served at one time or intended to be eaten at the same time 19 th and 20 th century menus had 12 courses Modern Menus have 3 course Appetizers Main Entrée Desserts

Organization of Menu Appetizers Soups Salads Sandwiches Entrée Vegetables Desserts Beverages

Variety and Balance in Menu Flavors Don’t repeat the same or similar taste in menus -Don’t put a broiled tomato with a dish that has tomato sauce Don’t serve a garlicky appetizer then a garlicky main dish Acid or tart foods are often served with fatty foods because they help cut the fatty taste. Orange sauce with Duck is an ex Textures-is the way food feels in your mouth. Don’t repeat same textures on the plate Appearance-serve foods with a variety of colors and shapes Nutrients-make sure the meal is nutritional balanced include all nutrients

Two types of Recipes Standardized Recipe-is a set of instructions describing the way a particular establishment prepares a particular dish. It helps direct and control production. – Name, yield, portion size, # of portions, ingredients in the order of use, equipment needed, directions, preparation and cooking times, direction for plating, portioning, garnish, and storage Instructional Recipes-to teach basic cooking techniques

Portion Cost in Restaurants Most restaurants food cost are 30% or less. If employee over serves the portion then that will dip into profits. There is a difference between AP (As Purchased) Weight and EP (Edible Portion) weight AP Weight is the weight of the product purchased EP Portion (Edible Portion) is weight of the product after all inedible non servable parts are trimmed off 2lb of potatoes is that AP or EP? 2Lb of peeled diced potatoes is that AP or EP? Is EP the same as AS (As Served)? If served raw yes but if cooked no.

When Changing a Recipe, what do you have to take into consideration. Measuring expanding or making a recipe too small Surface and Volume- the size of the pot will effect cooking time is you have a larger or smaller cooking area than what the recipe calls for Equipment-if you change the equipment may change cooking time and how fast or slow something cooks. Time-if you double a recipe you don’t always have to double the cooking time

Edible Portion Calculations If you need to figure out how much untrimmed product will yield trimmed AP x Yield=EP If a recipe calls for EP, how much of the product(AP) do you need to use to get EP – EP/Yield=AP

Practice 1)Recipe calls for 15 lb of EP potatoes How much do you have to Purchase? 2)You need 5lb of EP of Brocolli, how much do you have to purchase? 3)You purchase 10lb of Artichokes, How much EP will you get? 4)You need 2lb of EP of Onions, How much do you have to buy? 5)You bought 1 lb of celery, how much EP will you get? 6)You need 13lb of lettuce, how much do you have to purchase?

How to calculate Portion Cost? Portion cost is to total cost of all ingredients in a recipe divided by the number of portions – Portion Cost=cost of ingredients Number of Portions

Controlling Food Cost Use all edible trim-bones and vegetables trims for stocks and sauces Don’t add a food unless you can use trimmings Plan production to avoid leftovers Plan ahead for use of leftovers Avoid use of minimum use of perishable items – Ingredients used in at least one other menu item