17 Course French Classical Menu with Description and Examples
A 17-course French classical menu is a gastronomic experience that is not for the faint of heart. This type of menu typically consists of a series of small dishes that are carefully crafted and presented to perfection.
The meal usually begins with an amuse-bouche, a small, bite-sized appetizer that is meant to stimulate the palate and set the tone for the meal to come. This is followed by a series of courses, each one more intricate and delicious than the last.
Some of the most popular dishes that are often included in a 17-course French menu include foie gras, escargot, bouillabaisse, coq au vin, and tarte tatin. Each course is typically paired with a carefully selected wine that complements the flavors and textures of the dish.
While a 17-course French classical menu may seem overwhelming, it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for food lovers. It is a chance to indulge in the finest ingredients and techniques that French cuisine has to offer, and to savor the flavors and textures of each dish in a way that is truly unforgettable.
1 – Hors-d oeuvre / Appetizer
Are spicy to stimulate the appetite for the dishes that are to follow in the course.
In recent years, hors d’oeuvres have gained popularity and now appear on most of the menus in modest eating places.
Served from a rotating trolley or a tray a small amount of each variety is placed on the plate to make up a portion.
Examples Of Hors d oeuvres are :
Salads: Beetroot, Potato Salad, Tomato Salad, Fish MayonnaiseThick cold basic sauce made of egg yolks; oil and vinegar; for serving with cold eggs; fish; vegetab..., Russian Salad
Caviar : Roe of sturgeon fish
Shellfish cocktail: Prawns or shrimps on a bed of shredded lettuce covered with tomato-flavoured mayonnaise.
Melon Frappe: Chilled Melon
Saumon Fume: Smoked Salmon
PateHot or cold pie; with or without a crust; with any kind of filling. or a paste as pate de foie - liv... Maison: Goose or chicken liver, cooked, sieved, and well seasoned.
2 – Potage / Soup
Soup also acts as an appetizer for the further courses to come. Soups like clear soup(consommé) and other thick soups (crème, veloute, puree) are served during this course. However, it must be noted that the clear soup is always placed first on the menu.
Examples of PotageThe general name for all soups; but more specifically as a thick puree soup made of pulse or vegetab... :
Consommé julienne: – clear soup garnished with strips of root vegetables
Consommé Celestine: – clear soup garnished with strips of savory pancakes.
BisqueBisque (bisk) - Is a soup made from shellfish; the classic version of bisk is thickened with rice. d homard:- thick lobster-flavored soup
Green Bean Soup: – cream of Green Beans
Soup a l oignon: – clear onion soup
3 – Oeuf / Egg
Oeufs are dishes made from eggs. There are many styles of cooking and preparation of eggs such as boiled, en cocotte, poached, or scrambled. This course is not included in the dinner menu.
Examples of egg dishes are:
Omelette espagnole – FlatA flat silver plated or stainless steel tray used for service. omelet with onions, peppers and tomatoes
Omelette aux tomates : – tomato omelette
Omelet aux champignons: – mushroom omelet
Oeuf poche florentine: – poached egg on a bed of spinach coated with cheese sauce & gratinated
Oeuf brouille au lard: – scrambled egg with bacon.
4 – Farinaceous / Farineaux / Pasta or Rice
This is Italy’s contribution to the courses of the menu. It includes different kinds of rice and pasta. Pasta dishes are spaghetti, lasagne, and gnocchi. There are more than 200 varieties of pasta. The ingredients, size, shape, and color determine the type of pasta.
Examples of farinaceous dishes are:
Spaghetti napolitine – spaghetti in a tomato- and garlic-flavoured sauce.
RavioliSmall stuffed pieces of noodle paste; poached and served with a sauce.: – noodle type pasta filled with a variety of stuffing, such as chicken, beef, and spinach
Cannelloni: – rolls of ravioli paste filled with stuffing for ravioli.
GnocchiSmall dumplings made of chou pastry; potato or semolina; etc.; served in a sauce as a farinaceous co... romaine – semolina based.
Spaghetti bolognese – spaghetti blended with minced lean beef with rich brown sauce.
5 – Poisson / Fish
Poisson are the dishes made from fish. Fish, being soft-fibred, prepares the palate for the heavier meats that follow. Ideal fish for dinner menu compilation are Sole, Salmon, Halibut, Escallops, etc. Rarely seen on a menu for the evening meal are: Cod, Bass, Haddock, Brill, Hake, and Plaice.
Examples of fish dishes are:
Sole meuniere: – Sole shallow fried in butter.
Sole Colbert: – Sole, flour, egg, and breadcrumbed and deep fried. (fillets).
Sole cubat: – fillet of sole poached, dressed on a mushrooms puree, and coated with a cheese sauce.
DarneSlice; approximately 2 cm thick; cut through a whole round fish; such as cod or salmon. de salmon grilled, sauce bearnaise – salmon cutlet grilled with an egg- and butter-based sauce flavored with tarragon.
Homard Newburg: – Lobster served with a thickened sauce of fish stock and cream flavored with brandy and finished with butter.
6 – Entrée / Entree
The First in the meat course Entrées are generally small, well-garnished dishes that come from the kitchen ready for service. They are always accompanied by very rich gravy or sauce when a relief follows the entrée then potatoes and vegetables are not served with the latter; if, however, a relief does not follow the entrée they would be served with the dish.
Examples of this type of dish are :
Poulet saute chasseur: – saute chicken in a rich brown sauce flavored with tomatoes and mushrooms.
SupremeA quality piece of fish or meat; e.g. supreme devolaille is a breast of chicken. de volaille sur cloche – breast and wing of chicken cooked under a cover in the oven.
Steak Daine: – minute steak shallow fried and flavored with onions and mushrooms finished with red wine or cream.
Chateaubriand : – double fillet steak grilled.
7 – Sorbet / Sorbet
Because of the length of the French classical menu, this course is considered to be the rest between courses. It counteracts the previous dishes and rejuvenates the appetite of those that are to follow. It is water and crushed ice slush flavored as a rule with champagne and served in a glass.
Examples of sorbet :
Lemon SorbetLight kind of water-ice made in many flavours; for serving midway through a long banquet meal.
Champagne Sorbet
Calvados Sorbet
Peach Sorbet
Raspberry Sorbet
8 – Releve / Joints
This is the main meat course on the menu, Releves are normally larger than entrees and take the form of butcher’s joints which have to be carved. These joints are normally roasted. A sauce or a roast gravy with potatoes and green vegetables is always served with this course.
The Dish may contain any of the following:
Lamb (Agneau) Chicken (Poulet)
Beef (Boeuf) Duckling (Caneton)
Veal (Veau) Fowl (Poulard)
Ham (JambonA ham such as a fine cooked York ham or a smoked Parma ham; cut into thin slices.) Tongue (Langue)
Pork (Porc)
Some Examples of Releve:
Contrefilet de boeuf roti a l anglaise : – boned and roasted sirloin of beef.
Carre d agneau roti : – roast best end of lamb
Cuissot de porc roti puree de pommes : – roast legg of pork with apple sauce.
Gigot d agneau roti sauce menthe : – roast leg of lamb with mint sauce
9 – Roti / Roast
At this stage, the balance of the courses is gradually returning from heavy to light. RoastRoast - To cook food by surrounding it with dry heat. always contains roast of game or poultry: – chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, quail. Each dish is accompanied by its particular sauce and gravy, with a green salad served separately on a crescent-shaped dish.
Example of Roti:
Roast chicken
BraisedBraised - Browned in a small amount of fat. duck
Roast quail
10 – Legumes / Vegetables
We now have a vegetable dish served only with its accompanying sauce. These are vegetable dishes that can be served separately as an individual course or may be included along – with the entrée, relevé, or roast courses.
Examples of Legumes:
Pommes au four: – baked jacket potato
Champignon grilles: – grilled mushrooms
Choufleur mornay: – cauliflower with a cheese sauce.
Haricots verts au beurre: – French beans tossed in butter
11 – Salades / Salad
Various types of salads are served during this course.
Examples of salades are:
Salade francaise : – lettuce, tomato, egg, & vinaigrette dressings.
Salade vert: – Lettuce, watercress, cucumber, and green pepper.
12 – Buffet Froid / Cold Buffet
In this course, Chilled meat(small) pieces are served.
Examples of cold buffet items are:
Poulet roti: – Roast chicken
Ham in Parsley Aspic (Jambon Persillé)
Canton Roti: – Roast Duck
Mayonnaise d hommard: – lobster mayonnaise
13 – Entremets / Sweets
EntremetsNowadays the French name for the sweet course on a menu. this used to be the name of the entree cour... on a menu refer to desserts. This could include hot or cold sweets, gateaux, soufflés, or ice cream.
Examples of Entremets:
Crepe Suzette: – pancakes in rich fresh orange juice and flamed with brandy.
Ananas Flambes au kirsch: – Pineapple flamed with cherry-flavored liquor.
Peche Melba: – Vanilla Ice cream topped with a peach coated with a raspberry jam sauce and decorated with cream.
Bombes: – various Ice cream sweets.
14 – Savoureux / Savory
A dish of pungent taste, such as anchovies on toast or pickled fruit. They are served hot on toast or as savory soufflé. Welsh rarebit, Scotch woodcock, and CanapeSmall shape of toast or biscuit covered with egg; fish;meat; etc.; neatly decorated and often glazed... Diane are some examples.
Welsh rarebit: – Cheese sauce Flavoured with ale on toast gratinated.
Canape Daine:- Chicken livers rolled in bacon and grilled, placed on warm toast.
Champignons sur croute: – mushrooms on toast.
15 – Fromage / Cheese
Fromage is an alternative to the outdated savory course and may be served before or after the sweet course. It is usually served with butter, crackers, and occasionally celery. Gouda, Camembert, and Cheddar are some examples of cheese. All types of cheese may be offered together with appropriate accompaniments, the ideal cheese board will combine hard, semi-hard, soft or cream, blue, and fresh cheese.
| Cheese | Type | County |
| Cheddar | Hard | England |
| Edam | Hard | Holland |
| BrieLarge flat round soft cheese from France; one of the most popular cheeses. | Soft | France |
| Demi-Sel | Soft | France |
| Ricotta | Fresh | Italy |
16 – Dessert / Cut Fruits & Nuts
DessertThe sweet course at the end of a meal. can also refer to the fresh fruit and nuts served in this cou... is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal. All forms of fresh fruit and nuts may be served in this course. Common desserts include cakes, cookies, fruits, pastries, and candies.
All forms of Fresh Fruits Platter
All forms of Dry Fruits nuts may be served accompanied by castor sugar and salt
17 – Boissons / Beverage
All types of hot or cold beverages, Tea, Coffee, etc. are served. Always remember that while compiling menus beverages are not counted as a course.
Examples are:
Coffee: Cafetiere, Iced, Filter, Speciality, Decaffeinated.
