The New Catering Repertoire

These are items that form the selection for a trolley of mixed hors-d’œuvre.

The wide range of soups is dealt with in the accepted professional categories which are 1.consommés2.bouillons3.broths4.purée soups5.potages6.cream soups7.veloutés8.brown roux soups9.tomato-based soups10.thick game soups11.bisques12.foreign soups13.cold soups

Egg dishes are grouped under the six basic methods of cooking them. These are grouped as: 1.soft boiled, poached, moulded2.hard boiled, stuffed3.en cocotte, sur Ie plat4.deep and shallow fried5.scrambled6.omelettes

There are more than a hundred different shapes and sizes of these farinaceous products which are such a splendid feature of Italian cookery. They are served as a first course, as a main course, or as a garnish with a few fish and many meat dishes, mainly for lunch. Some pastas are used as a garnish in soups, some in sweet milk puddings, and several interesting salads are based on a pasta item.

The large number of fish dishes in the repertoire are categorised here by methods of cooking instead of by species of fish. Each method is dealt with separately and it can be taken that all the fish in general use, either whole or in fillets, are suitable for that particular method.

There are two types of shellfish — crustaceans of which there are seven and molluscs of which there are three in general use. All are highly perishable and require careful storage and handling. Apart from prawns and shrimps and sometimes crabs, shellfish are purchased raw.

This list shows the names of most of the well-known classical garnishes for main dishes of meat, currently in use in the international repertoire. It should be remembered that new dishes are constantly being invented, some only for a particular occasion, but which merit widespread acceptance and are then handed down through generations and eventually become classical additions to the international repertoire.

When selecting main dishes for the menu it is necessary to know the distinction that exists between entrée and a relevé. The word entrée is now used loosely to describe all kinds of main dishes though actually it should only be used in connection with a meal in which there are two main meat courses — first the entrée which consists of a small meat item without a garnish or any accompanying vegetables and second, the relevé which is a joint of any kind of meat, served with a garnish and some accompanying vegetables.

The main game birds that add extra interest to the menu during the winter months are grouse, partridge and pheasant. The other wild birds that come into season from August onwards are snipe, wild duck and woodcock, but wood pigeons and quails also come into this category and are available throughout the year. To improve the flavour and tenderness they should be hung undrawn, in a cool place for a few days.

Sauces are dealt with under the following categories: 1.Basic sauces which can be used as made but are usually converted into minor sauces by further cooking with additional ingredients2.Brown sauces based on demi-glace and jus lié3.White sauces based on velouté and sauce suprême4.Egg and butter sauces5.Sauces used almost exclusively for fish dishes6.Cold sauces7.Butter sauces8.Butters (hard sauces)

The word buffet indicates a display of dishes of food from which people help themselves to what they want, or are assisted by counterhands or carvers. According to whether chairs and tables are provided so the food should be appropriate: a finger buffet would mean that people eat standing up, therefore all items need to be cut into small pieces.

There are several different categories of salads — the very plain ones consisting of a few of the most common salad items neatly arranged in a salad bowl and the rather more involved ones made up of a number of different ingredients mixed together with a dressing, which can serve either as an accompanying salad or as an hors-d’œuvre course. Some salads are sufficiently substantial to act as main courses — these include such dishes as lobster salad and mayonnaise of chicken. The main place for salads in the menu is as the perfect accompaniment for cold fish and meat and with roasts and grilled meats.

These are mostly served as a separate vegetable course rather than as an accompanying vegetable.

Many different kinds of ice-cream are available, or can be made on the premises, to provide light and interesting sweets. Ice-cream is the most versatile kind of sweet and there are several hundred ways of serving it.

These are normally served as the last course of a formal meal, usually coming after the sweet at dinner. Many of them are also useful as part of a hot hors-d’œuvre selection. In some countries the savoury is served before the sweet. The portion size is fairly small and savouries must be neat which means they could dry out if prepared too far in advance; they must be served very hot.,

A fondue is a Swiss family meal or celebration party for family and friends on a special occasion. To make the event a successful and happy one it is necessary to have the right equipment and ingredients as otherwise guests may end up trying to eat something that looks and tastes like rubbery chewing gum.

Pizzas are based on what used to be a primitive peasant-style snack meal made of bread dough with savoury ingredients sprinkled on top and baked in an oven fired with wood. From such humble Italian origins they now enjoy world-wide favour and have been made slightly more sophisticated and sufficiently substantial to constitute a main dish. They can be made in the form of a flan using pastry, or bread dough, and the depth of filling increased to merit the title of deep-dish pizza.

This section shows all items of small utensils and equipment used in the traditional kitchen.

This section gives brief details of staple commodities, in the form of hints on purchasing.

It is permissible to add further garnishes to help to decorate a dish over and above that garnish which is an integral part of the recipe. The use of real flowers or leaves, and feathers or head of birds is unacceptable; the flowers must be made from edible material as described below and leaves, feathers, and other adornments made from fat or gum paste. Vegetable decorations can be made as follows:

Everyone connected with the supply of food and drink to the general public should possess a working knowledge of nutrition, which is the study of food values for nourishment of the body. This knowledge provides an understanding of the nutritive value of foods and their use in the body and should ensure that customers are being fed wisely and well.

There are many reasons why people are vegetarians, it can be because of humanitarian considerations, for ethnic or religious reasons, for philosophical or health cults or because they listen to pundits who say meat is bad and unnecessary. Caterers should not regard such customers as cranks or as a nuisance because they upset the kitchen routine, but should endeavour to satisfy their wants in the best possible way.

This style of cookery is not as new as the name implies as it has appeared and disappeared over the past two hundred years; Voltaire, Mercier and La Chapelle among others, have commented upon it during its several heydays, not always favourably, so it has come and gone in fashion. Today, its adherents are impressed by the artistry of chefs who produce wonderful picture-plates of food that demonstrate all the loving care that has gone into the presentation. Such works of art delight the eye though they may leave the appetite unsatiated.

The smooth and efficient running of a kitchen is greatly assisted by staff who are safety conscious and do not therefore take risks during the hectic commotion that is often part of kitchen routine.

Chefs have a responsibility to provide customers with food which possesses all the necessary quality characteristics that ensure entire satisfaction. This includes the fact that the food served should not present the risk of food poisoning, which can occur in either of two ways — chemical poisoning, or bacteriological poisoning.