suggestions forfundraising dinner french menu

[DJM52]

For the third consecutive year I am doing a dinner for 200 as a fundraising event for a high school sports team to be held in the early spring.The previous dinners have been built around pasta dishes, and we have been able to work in seasonal ingredients like locally-grown aspargus and strawberries. We have kept ticket prices at $10 and much of the food has been donated by local suppliers. The dinner is prepared over a single day in a well-equipped high school cafeteria, with professional stoves and a bank of convection ovens.

I would like to do a French menu this time and as a home cook would greatly appreciate your menu suggestions, given our time and financial constraints. Also, is there a standard book or two on volume cooking you can reccomend? Most of the institutional texts I have found are outdated or inappropriate.

Thank you very much for your help.

[Mezzaluna]

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[CremeBrulee]

Play up the veggies (get creative with something people in your locale might not be as familiar with to make it seem more "French") and sauce them up with something fancy sounding. Sprinkle a few fresh herbs on top too.

Flambe the dessert, one show at each table to make it more impressive.

Serve two different cheeses with some grapes or pear instead of salad after the main course, before the dessert.

A nice added touch I liked when I was in Paris was a little extra sweet with coffee. Ahead of time make up large spoons of creme brulee to place on the saucer with good strong coffee after dessert. It's just that added little "something" that people will remember, it's worth the extra time and shouldn't cost much to include.


Visit http://frenchfood.about.com
Also, best books for finding less expensive, yet tasty recipes is French Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Herrmann Loomis

Good luck, bonne chance!

[shroomgirl]

$10 fundraiser in the Spring.

Vegetable crudites with aioli on the table, use Hellman's mayo, garlic and lemon juice rather than fresh eggs. or tapenade with croutons (crostini) on the tables.

Chicken stew with tarragon, carrots,green beans, new potatoes, peas, white wine, chicken stock
or
Beef Daube, stew....I add orange zest to the red wine sauce.

french bread/butter

baby greens with a coarse grain mustard viniagrette, asp. if you got um.

Chocolate mousse, can be dressed up with berries &/or whipped cream
or
Lemon curd tarts, individual and BUY the tart shells....with berries.

Something easily portioned, you don't have to have professionals make.....I was called in at the last moment to help out at a Boy Scout fundraiser, my sister in law had helped me out on a couple of jobs and "thought she knew how to run an event."....
oh man.
The kitchen was not equiped, 2 of the 4 ovens did not work, the fridge was smallish......they had no concept of portion control.....I think they made $400 off of 180 people. $5pp up to $20 per family.....

Masticolli with meat sauce (homemade)
green salad with ranch (their choice of dressing)
garlic bread
chocolate cake

The goal is to raise money, some of the benefits are that the boys learn how to work an event. I would have priced it higher, checked out the kitchen prior to, made sure staff came in early enough....etc....plan your traffic, inexperienced people around hot can get hurt or hurt others.
AND remember WHY you are doing it....during the day sil "wanted to make it a memorable meal....", "um, it's a low budget fundraiser....you want to make money".
Anything fruffy is just that. They are paying $10. Dinner at a mediocre chain costs more than that so fancy unless donated is taking away from the bottom line.
MTC