17 Course French Classical Menu
1 - Hors-d oeuvre / Appetizer
Are of spicy in nature in order to stimulate the appetite for the dishes that are to follow in the course.
In recent years, hors d’oeuvres have gained popularity, and now appear on most of the menus in modest eating places.
Served from a rotating trolley or a tray a small amount of each variety being placed on the plate to make up a portion.
Examples Of Hors d oeuvres are :
Caviar : Roe of sturgeon fish
Shellfish cocktail : Prawns or shrimps on a bed of shredded lettuce covered with tomato flavoured mayonnaise.
Melon Frappe : Chilled Melon
Saumon Fume : Smoked Salmon
Pate maison : Goose or chicken liver, cooked , sieved and well seasoned.
2 - Potage / Soup
Soup also act as an appetizer for the further courses to come. Soups like clear soup(consommé) and the other a thick soup (crème, veloute, puree) are served during this course. Although it must be noted that the clear soup is always placed first on the menu.
Examples of Potage :
Consommé julienne : - clear soup garnished with strips of root vegetables
Consommé celestine : - clear soup garnished with strips of savoury pancakes.
Bisque d homard :- thick lobster- flavored soup
Green Bean Soup : - cream of Green Beans
Soup a l oignon : - clear onion soup
3 - Oeuf / Egg
Oeufs are the dishes made from egg. There are many styles of cooking and preparation of eggs such as boiled, en cocotte, poached or scrambled. This course is not included in the dinner menu.
Examples of egg dishes are:
Omelette espagnole – Flat omelette with onions, peppers and tomatoes
Omelette aux tomates : - tomato omelette
Omlette aux champignons : - mushroom omelette
Oeuf poche florentine : - poached egg on a bed of spinach coated with cheese sauce & gratinated
Oeuf brouille au lard : - scrambled egg with bacon.
4 - Farinaceous / Farineaux / Pasta or Rice
This is Italy's contribution to the courses of the menu. It includes different kinds of rice and pasta. Pasta dishes are spaghetti, lasagne and gnocchi. There are more than 200 varieties of pasta. The ingredients, size, shape and colour determine the type of pasta.
Examples of farinaceous dishes are:
Spaghetti napolitine – spaghetti in a tomato- and garlic- flavoured sauce.
Ravioli : - noodle type pasta filled with a variety of stuffing, such as chicken, beef, and spinach
Cannelloni : - rolls of ravioli paste filled with stuffing as for ravioli.
Gnocchi romaine – semolina based.
Spaghetti bolognaise – spaghetti blended with minced lean beef with rich brown sauce.
5 - Poisson / Fish
Poisson are the dishes made from fish. Fish, being soft-fibred,prepares the palate for the heavier meats that follow. Ideal fish for dinner menu compilation are: Sole, Salmon, Halibut, Escallops, etc. Rarely seen on a menu for the evening meal are: Cod, Bass, Haddock, Brill, Hake, and Plaice.
Examples of fish dishes are:
Sole meuniere : - Sole shallow fried in butter.
Sole colbert : - Sole, flour, egg and bread crumbed and deep fried. (fillets).
Sole cubat : - fillet of sole poached, dressed on a mushrooms puree and coated with a cheese sauce.
Darne de saumon grillee, sauce bearnaise – salmon cutlet grilled with an egg- and butter based sauce flavoured with tarragon.
Homard Newburg : - Lobster served with thickened sauce of fish stock and cream flavoured with brandy and finished with butter.
6 - Entrée / Entree
The First in the meat course Entrées are generally small, well garnished dishes which come from the kitchen ready for service. They are always accompanied by very rich gravy or sauce when releve follow entrée then potatoes and vegetables are not served with the latter; if, however a releve does not follow the entrée they would be served with the dish.
Examples of this type of dish are :
Poulet saute chasseur : - saute chicken in a rich brown sauce flavoured with tomatoes and mushroom.
Supreme de volaille sur cloche – breast and wing of chicken cooked under a cover in oven.
Steak Daine : - minute steak shallow fried and flavoured with onions and mushrooms finished with red wine or cream.
Chateaubriand : - double fillet steak grilled.
7 - Sorbet / Sorbet
Because of the length of the French classical menu, this course is considered to be the rest between courses . It counteracts the previous dishes, and rejuvenates the appetite for those that are to follow. It is water and crushed ice slush flavoured as a rule with champagne and served in a glass.
Examples of sorbet :
Lemon Sorbet
Champagne Sorbet
Calvados Sorbet
Peach Sorbet
Raspberry Sorbet
8 - Releve / Joints
This the main meat course on the menu, Releves are normally larger than entrees and take the form of butcher’s joints which have to be carved. These joints are normally roasted. A sauce or a roast gravy with potatoes and green vegetables are always served with this course.
Some Examples of Releve:
Contrefilet de boeuf roti a l anglaise : - boned and roasted sirloin of beef.
Carre d agneau roti : - roast best end of lamb
Cuissot de porc roti puree de pommes : - roast legg of pork with apple sauce.
Gigot d agneau roti sauce menthe : - roast leg of lamb with mint sauce
9 - Roti / Roast
At this stage the balance of the courses is gradually returning from heavy to light. Roast always contain roast of game or poultry: - chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, quail. Each dish is accompanied by its own particular sauce and gravy, with a green salad served separately on a cresent shaped dish.
Example of Roti:
Roast chicken
Braised duck
Roast quail
10 - Legumes / Vegetables
We now have a vegetable dish served only with its accompanying sauce. These are vegetable dishes that can be served separately as an individual course or may be included along - with the entrée, relevé or roast courses.
Examples of Legumes:
Pommes au four: - baked jacket potato
Champignons grilles : - grilled mushrooms
Choufleur mornay: - cauliflower with a cheese sauce.
Haricots verts au beurre: - French beans tossed in butter
11 - Salades / Salad
Various types of salads which are served during this course.
Examples of salades are:
Salade francaise : - lettuce, tomato, egg, & vinaigrette dressings.
Salade vert: - Lettuce, watercress, cucumber and green pepper.
12 - Buffet Froid / Cold Buffet
In this course Chilled meat(small) pieces are served.
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Examples of cold buffet items are:
Poulet roti : - Roast chicken
Ham in Parsley Aspic (Jambon Persillé)
Caneton Roti: - Roast Duck
Mayonnaise d hommard: - lobster mayonnaise
13 - Entremets / Sweets
Entremets on a menu refers to desserts. This could include hot or cold sweets, gateaux, soufflés or ice-cream.
Examples of Entrements:
Crepe suzette : - pancakes in a rich fresh orange juice and flamed with brandy.
Ananas Flambes au kirsch: - Pineapple flamed with cherry flavoured liquor.
Peche Melba: - Vanilla Ice cream topped with a peach coated with a raspberry jam sauce and decorated with cream.
Bombes : - various Ice cream sweets.
14 - Savoureux / Savory
A dish of pungent taste, such as anchovies on toast orpickled fruit. They are seved hot on toast or as savoury soufflé.Welsh rarebit, Scotch woodcock, Canape diane are
some of the examples.
Welsh rarebit: - Cheese sauce Flavoured with ale on toast gratinated.
Canape Daine :- Chicken livers rolled in bacon and grilled, placed on a warm toast.
Champignons sur croute: - mushrooms on toast.
15 - Fromage / Cheese
Fromage is an alternative to the outdated savoury course, and may be served before or after the sweet course. It is usually served with butter, crackers and occasionally celery.Gouda, Camembert and Cheddar are some examples of cheese.All type of cheese may be offered together with appropriate accompaniments, the ideal cheese board will combine hard, semi-hard, soft or cream, blue and fresh cheese.
some examples :
| Cheese | Type | County |
| Cheddar | Hard | England |
| Edam | Hard | Holland |
| Brie | Soft | France |
| Demi-Sel | Soft | France |
| Ricotta | Fresh | Italy |
16 - Dessert / Cut Fruits & Nuts
Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal. All forms of fresh fruit and nuts may be served in this course. Common desserts include cakes, cookies, fruits, pastries and candies.
examples:
All forms of Fresh Fruits Platter
All forms of Dry Fruits nuts may be served accompanied by castor sugar and salt
17 - Boissons / Beverage
All types of hot or cold beverage,Tea,Coffee etc. are served. Always remember that while compiling menus beverages are not counted as a course.
Examples are:
Coffee: Cafetiere, Iced, Filter, Speciality, Decaffeinated.
Tea: Indian, Ceylon, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe
This classy napkin folding technique is simple, fast, and can be made easily with most napkins. If the napkin being used is thin and flops easily then iron it with light starch prior to folding and it will turn out perfectly!
1. Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
2. Fold the napkin in half diagonally.
3. Rotate the napkin so the open end faces away from you.
4. Fold the right end up to meet the far corner, ensuring the edge of this new fold lays on the centerline as shown.
5. Repeat the last step with the left side, folding the left tip up to the far corner, creating a diamond shape with a seam running down the center.
6. Turn the napkin over, keeping the open end facing away from you.
7. Fold the napkin in half by bringing the farthest point of the diamond up and back to the nearest point.
8. Turn the napkin over again, this time keeping the open end facing towards you.
9. Fold the napkin along the center seam and you have a neat, sturdy pyramid. If your napkin won’t stand neatly then you may need a little starch. 
This method of folding napkins is very simple and can be done with almost any napkin without a need for starch. It adds a flowing, elegant look to your table.
3. Fold the far-right corner over to the center of the side that is closest to you. The edge of this fold should run down the center of the napkin.
This is a classic and classy napkin folding technique that requires a stiff napkin. If you don’t have any dinner napkins made of stiff linen then a light starching should fix you right up.
2. Fold the napkin in half.
This nice napkin design originated from the napkin-worshiping indians native to Guam called the dirty-wipey-nappies…or not. An iron will be helpful.
1. Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
Do you want your dinner guests to feel like royalty but have no red carpet? Treat them like kings and give them all crowns! Then you can use this napkin to wipe the cheese out of that introduction.This napkin folding design just doesn’t work well without a little starch in the cloth, if it’s sagging it’s ugly so take your time and get it right.
1. Lay the napkin face-down in front of you.
2. Fold the napkin in half diagonally.
3. Orient the napkin so the open ends are pointing away from you.
4. Fold the right-corner up so that the point rests directly on top of the middle-corner. The edge of this new flap should lay on the center line of the napkin.
5. Repeat step four on the other side, bringing the left-most corner up to meet the middle-corner, creating a diamond shape.
6. Fold the bottom of the napkin up about 2/4’s of the way and press this fold down well.
7. Fold the smaller triangle down so the point rests on the near edge of the napkin. Press.
8. Curl the left and right sides of the napkin up so they meet in the middle and tuck one into the other.
9. Stand it up and tug at it where needed to even it up and round it out. If your napkins are too limp then think of starch as napkin viagra and make them good and stiff.