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Writing Menus
Back to work to face a barage of menu requests…..
There is much more to writing menus than meets the eye, professionally it is akin looking at photographs of yourself from a twenty something to the present. When I look back at my earliest efforts I can see a young man full of enthusiasm, keen to impress, hell bent on winning an award and having so much to learn.
As time progresses I can see how maturity and knowledge begin to shape the structure of the menus, there is a greater awareness for flavour combinations and cost control, I begin to use local ingredients, Cumbrian ham, Windermere Char (trout) and later Lincolnshire Poacher (cheese) and stuffed chine (a speciality of bacon collar and parsley)
Now, as I prepare to dangle my toe in the pool that is the 40’s, I have a much more single minded approach to my food. For years I strived for recognition by the good food guides, now that I have them I am less inclined to want to cater for their wishes. All chefs go through a phase of cooking for the guide books, I don’t care what anyone says. I have always cooked in accordance with my customer base but always with one eye on the restaurant inspectors.
Food awards come and go, they are, after all awarded, by and large on the basis of one persons opinion of one meal. I prefer to consider the opinions of the thousands of customers we feed every month, my menus are written for them. I don’t want to ‘educate’ them, I want them to struggle to choose between the sea bass and the partridge. I don’t want to confuse them but I do throw in a couple of ‘different’ ingredients to arouse curiosity and encourage conversation with the waiting staff.
Planning a menu at home or in a professional kitchen is really not dissimilar, first of all you should cook within the confines of both your ability and your equipment. Your food should reflect you and your personality, it should be cooked with confidence so stick with what you know you can do well. Think about the time of year, I don’t want to start banging the seasonal drum but pairing one or two ingredients together at the height of their growing season makes your job much easier.
Finally, don’t try to be clever for clever’s sake, let Heston Blumenthal get on with it. I don’t want pretentious food designed to impress rather than taste of what it is suposed to. I go back to my recent post about lunch at my mother’s; great soup, brilliant warm quiche, tomato salad served at room temperature. That’s a great menu.
That was a quality post !
I did have a couple of questions occur to me but they were answered further into the post
Kepp up the good work - seriously good content
Rod
September 12, 2007 @ 7:51 am
Rod,
Thanks a lot! Menus are like blog writing, one week, a veritable oasis of ideas, the next-the Sahara!
Miles
September 12, 2007 @ 8:29 am
Thanks Miles.I started using pickled lemons last year some time, especially with chicken dishes, now you have given me some fab ideas to try.Must admit I would never have thought of adding cinnamon or star anise. Brilliant. Thanks again.
Regards Nora.
September 12, 2007 @ 8:27 pm
Hello Nora,
Welcome to the site, it’s kind of you to take the time to comment. You can also try some whole dried chilli or sprigs of fresh mint for added punch and moroccan flavour. They are really good with quickly sauteed spinach-even better when combining both with some cooked chick peas. Leave them all to come to room temperature then add some chunks of feta, shredded mint and a glug of decent olive oil to make a great salad.
Thanks again.
Miles
September 12, 2007 @ 11:06 pm
Miles,
One of the common phrases you hear women utter is “what shall I cook tomorrow or for a change?” I am no different despite of the vast choices of cookbooks available.
However, I do find your blog inspiring and hope that you will continue. Thank you.
September 14, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Elsie,
We are all guilty of not making the most of cookbooks. Having said that, many promise a lot but deliver very little. What I can’t stand is those books which are sold as family friendly yet advocate the use of reductions, turbot, and methods which I would never attempt at home. I am all for people being ambitious with their cooking but there is a limit.
Miles
September 14, 2007 @ 9:50 pm