[cheftobe]

Hello everybody..I need to put together a 3 course meal, which I will be serving 40-50 guests, for one of my classes. I am trying to relay a sense of "the beginning of spring" for the theme of my menu, as my project is not scheduled until the 1st week of April. I also need to do all of this under $3.50 per serving. I was thinking $2 for the entree, .75 for the salad and .60 for dessert and .7 for a bread of some sort.
I don't think this is a "heavy" menu, as I would like to have it a little lighter to further the sense of spring.This is what I have so far:

Wilted frisee salad with crispy pancetta
Frisse, olive oil, shallots, chives, vinegars, pancetta, S&P

Broiled/grilled/maybe poached Salmon served over veggie couscous, topped with basil oil, green beans, and yellow cherry tomatoes. (havent come up with a short title for this one yet!)
Salmon 4-5oz with S&P only( I dont want to take away anything from the salmon's flavor at all). couscous with diced carrots, scallions, red pepper, parsley and garlic. sauteed beans and tomatos, all plated and then drizzled with basil oil

so here are my questions

1 do the 2 courses compliment each other?
2 Is this short menu too early for spring?
3 Is it "heavy?"
4 what kind of dessert would go with it? I was thinking a dab of sweetened mascarpone with some bluberries?
5 possible bread or cracker solution?

I am pricing out menus now for 3 items, I cant wait to do a full menu of them!!!!

[shroomgirl]

The cheapest salmon I've seen is $6 #.....That one ingredient wipes out your entree budget.

Eggs are cheap and easy to fruff up....roulades, souffles, custards, poached

Spring....asparagus, mushrooms, snow peas, lemons, lamb, spinach, green onions, new potatoes, pineapple, strawberries it's alittle early for rhubarb...

Risottos are cheap and can go upscale

mascarpone is pretty $$$$ for $3.50 budget. You can make creme fraise for a nominal amount

popovers are an underused bread

Seasonal food is generally cheaper than products out of season.

[Suzanne]

The menu you present doesn't much say SPRING to me. What are the spring items where you are located? Shroom's list of spring foods is a good start -- which of those are in your region? And she's 100% right about seasonal being less $. Have a look at Dornenburg and Page's Culinary Artistry. They've got great lists of ingredients with when they are in season and what other ingredients go well with them. Use that as a guide and inspiration.

[cheftobe]

Thank you for the responses and the input. I am getting Salmon for .324 per oz and will be serving a 4-5 oz portion, small, but lunch is only $6 for a 3 courser. This is more of an "excerise" to get a feel for putting food out, rather than keeping customers coming back. We seat 40 within the lunch hour and whatever the apprentice makes is the menu. Its a big hit with the local businesses.

In regards to the theme, the 2 "centerpieces" for the first 2 courses are very much spring food items, Salmon and Frisee, even though both are available year round.

Do I build the plate with everything springy? I thought the main attraction would hold the theme.

I think I am going to sub orzo for the couscous, using a super light hint of mint with S&P, parsley, and something else maybe.

[cheftobe]

Originally Posted by Suzanne

The menu you present doesn't much say SPRING to me. What are the spring items where you are located? Shroom's list of spring foods is a good start -- which of those are in your region? And she's 100% right about seasonal being less $. Have a look at Dornenburg and Page's Culinary Artistry. They've got great lists of ingredients with when they are in season and what other ingredients go well with them. Use that as a guide and inspiration.

By the way, Culinary Artistry is by far the best book I have purchased to date, bar none!!!!!!!!!!!

[shroomgirl]

play with orzo, it's not as co-operative as couscous, it's always good to practice prior to service.