Menu Ideas

26 April 2005
Menu Ideas

Bistro

Traditionally a bistro serves simple French food, but a restaurateur could use the philosophy of a bistro to serve a menu of rustic, British dishes.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>

The word bistro is believed to come from the Russian word meaning quick, so a meal ordered in a bistro is one that should be served swiftly.

What to serve

General rules

Rustic, hearty dishes are key. In winter, this means soups and stews that have been slowly cooking for several hours and can be served straight from the cooking pot, or a quickly grilled piece of meat or fish; while in the summer, large salads that can be assembled at the last minute and tossed with a dressing are ideal.

Simplicity is important too, so plates of charcuterie or cheese with rustic bread, or a selection of fresh vegetables crudites and hard-boiled eggs accompanied by a dip of garlic mayonnaise would be acceptable menu items.

Regional dishes feature heavily in French bistros with the likes of chicken à la bourguignon (chicken cooked in red wine with bacon and mushrooms) from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /?>

Burgundy and choucroute garnie (cabbage garnished with ham, bacon and sausage) from Alsace.British regional dishes suitable for a bistro include Lancashire hot pot and Cumberland sausages with onion gravy and mash.Desserts should be straightforward and include a variety of tarts (apple, plum, lemon), ice creams and sorbets, while a British bistro could include traditional hot puddings in winter such as date and ginger pudding and the likes of Eton Mess in summer.Starter suggestions: ·Onion soup topped with cheese croutons·Pea and ham soup ·Vichyssoise ·Salad niçoise ·Salad of roast beetroot and goat's cheese ·Steamed mussels with white wine sauce ·Chicken liver salad with redcurrant dressing ·Poached eggs Florentine·Venison terrine with an apple chutney, red pepper and brie tartMain course suggestions:·Grilled lemon sole with tartare sauce·Matelote (fish stew in red or white wine)·Smoked haddock fish cakes ·Confit de canard ·Coq au vin ·Calf's liver à la lyonnaise, ·Pot-au-feu braised oxtail with herb dumplings·Ox tongue with gherkin sauce, wild and fresh mushroom fricasséePuddings·Crème brûlée·Crème caramel·Tarte tatin·Lemon meringue pie·Almond and amaretto cheesecake ·Bakewell tart with custard ·Apple and cinnamon crumble ·Sticky toffee pudding and butterscotch sauce ·Vanilla rice pudding with poached Bramley apple ·Gooseberry foolPubsThe dramatic improvement in pub food in recent years has occurred at every level. From gastro pubs, serving food akin to the best restaurants around, down to the simple boozer offering little more than a ploughman's, the care and consideration being given to the quality of the food on the plate is paramount.The relaxed atmosphere of pubs is best suited to simple foods, although many pubs operate separate dining rooms than can allow for more complicated food and service.Top-notch ingredients are coming to the fore, with freshness and seasonality now a major priority. It would be ideal if the supplies can be sourced locally too, with meat from nearby farms, game from local estates, fish from the nearest coastline and vegetables from local growers.A feature should be made of regional ingredients, whether it is a platter of local cheeses such as Montgomery's Cheddar, Devon Blue and Tickelmore goats', or the accompanying bread such as stotties, barm cakes, bannocks and oatcakes.Pubs are reacting to customers' demands to eat freshly prepared dishes, rather than commercially produced ones that are standard across an entire chain.One-plate dishes are ideally suited to pubs, such as a sausage casserole or a black pudding and bacon salad with a poached egg.While some pubs flirt with international flavours, the quintessential British pub is probably best suited to indigenous flavours and dishes, such as crispy pork belly with Bramley apple sauce.Pub menu dishesStarters·Roast tomato and fennel soup·Butternut squash and chorizo soup·Smoked haddock chowder·Potted shrimps·Half pint of prawns with mayonnaise·Crab and grapefruit salad·Sautéed herring roes on toasted brioche·Terrine of ham hock with spiced pineapple chutney·Chicken liver parfait with date and apple chutney·Black pudding and red onion tartMain courses·Cod fillet with a Dijon mustard and herb crust·Beer-battered plaice and chips·Slow-cooked lamb shank with mint and saffron sauce·Roast suckling pig with mustard mash·Pork and Stilton sausage with parsnip and honey mash·Rib-eye steak with garlic tarragon butter and chips·Steak and Guinness pie·Gressingham duck breast with apple and potato rosti·Smoked bacon macaroni cheese·Sweet potato and mushroom chilli with herby yoghurtPuddings·Bitter chocolate mousse·Lemon posset·Rhubarb and ginger syllabub·Hot apple tart with a Calvados sauce·Pear and frangipane tart·Chilled lemon tart·Walnut and treacle tart with clotted cream·Brioche bread and butter pudding·Fig and almond cake·Yorkshire curd tartView all chef jobs on Caterersearchjobs here >>

Continue reading

You need to be a premium member to view this. Subscribe from just 99p per week.

Already subscribed?

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking