Courses

Most people are familiar with three and four course meals. They consist of some form of Hors d'oeuvres and/or appetizer, an entrée, and dessert. Drinks come out all at once, and they are often buffet or family style. They are your average family meal.

If, on the other hand, one wishes to go all out, then he may do a full course meal. A full course meal is a production to say the least, but it is something that blows people away. please note that it is perfectly acceptable to not do every one of the courses for it to be a formal affair, and note also that it is perfectly acceptable to add as many courses as you want. in the Edwardian era, the 22 course meal was not unheard of (Though I do recommend smaller portions the more courses you have.) However, it is important to note, when you decide to undertake a full course meal, you commit to a lot. First and foremost: you commit to good food. The higher number of courses, and the better the presentation, the more attention you call to the food. If it is good, the presentation will enhance it further, if the food is bad, the presentation will make you look worse. Though food taste and presentation are not a zero sum game as some people have failed to understand when I explain it to them.

With that in mind: it is time to choose a menu. There is a great deal of latitude in the 6-22 course that make up a full course meal, and with time you will figure out quite a lot, but the order is traditionally as follows in order to go in a direction the palette appreciates. (Note the flatware for each course is also listed.)

1.    Hors d’Oeuvre

The flatware and china vary greatly here, but often a salad plate and finger foods

Usually served in the main room (drawing room, living room, etc…) with champagne or cocktails, before dinner.

2.     Soup

Soup or bullion bowl, and Bullion spoon or soup spoon

The first seated course is generally a light soup, often bullion (brothy soup.)

3.     Fish

Fish fork, and fish knife on a salad plate (salad fork and regular knife if you do not have those)

Can be served hot or cold, and should be enjoyed as one of the lighter points of the evening. Fish is often accompanied by a hard bread; however, I don’t do that as I find hard bread repugnant. I usually use rice or quinoa.

4.     Entrée

dinner fork, and dinner or steak knife(Keep in mind that the steak knife should be in the same pattern as every other piece of flatware at the table. restaurants love to bring out wood steak knives that look heartier than everything else, but you should never break the elegance of your display in such a crass manner.): dinner plate

The entrée is usually a poultry or red meat dish, and will typically be accompanied by roasted or steamed vegetables and a starch in the form of rice, potatoes, or pasta. However, the pasta should never be something like spaghetti that is awkward to eat.

5.     Removes

Dinner fork, dinner knife: salad plate

Removes are a small course for the sake of a pallet cleanser. Often one dish, with no sides. (Lamb slices with mint jelly is very common(among meals that have removes courses…)

6.     Sorbet

Ice cream fork (teaspoon if no ice cream fork) sorbet glass (cocktail glasses work just fine (cut crystal is ideal though))

Not to be confused with sherbet, which has dairy. Sorbet only includes a fruit, sugar and water as ingredients. Lemon and lime on the best for cleansing the pallet.

7.     Roast

Dinner fork, dinner knife

The roast course is generally the most expensive course of the night. It is often duck, pigeon, or some kind of fowl, served with heavy vegetables.

8.     Salad

Salad fork, salad plate (maybe a knife (But probably not))

This is usually a simple and light salad. Harvest salads of spinach and vinaigrette dressings are the most common.

9.     Dessert

Dessert spoon (or teaspoon) Dessert fork (or salad fork)

Make something very sweet, or hire someone to do it for you.

10.  Fruit and Cheese

Bred plate, butter spreader

This course is rarely served with more than just a bread plate. This is the final course before moving to another location, or calling it a night.

11.  Coffee

Teacup and saucer teaspoon

Coffee is brought out in coffee pots (you should provide decaffeinated and regular coffee). This is usually done with the cheese in place of a wine pairing, but can be done separately. If it is done separately, mints should be brought with the coffee.

Wines

            If one is committing to a full course meal, he is generally committing to good wine as well. One can go to a wine store, speak to a sommelier and get recommendations, or simply go on google to see what goes with his menu.

            One of the reasons the menu is in the order it is, is because the first few courses pair better with white wine, and while it is very easy for a person to shift from drinking white wine to drinking red, going back the other way is an assault on his pallet. As well, desserts are often served with dessert wines, and after dinner spirits are often served. Knowing this, one may serve one type of red, one type of white, and one type of dessert wine throughout the whole meal, or he may switch with every course, or at some courses, the one rule that should be followed closely though is that white goes before red. There is one exception to this however, and that is Champagne. This could go unnoticed, but every once in a while the dessert wine will be white, like a moscatto, in which case, you should have champagne between the two to cleanse the pallet. The moral of the story is one can always have Champagne….