Crafting a perfect menu

10Mar/100

Crafting a perfect menu

Did Beethoven compose his 5th Symphony in a day? Did Picasso paint the Mona Lisa before breakfast? Was "Gone With The Wind" a simple short story thrown together one evening? To those questions you would shout a resounding "No!" there was passion, research, suffering and love that went into each of those works of art, and I believe that the same time and effort should go into writing a menu.

OK, maybe not the same amount of time, because we would all starve, but the same passion and effort should be expected from any artist seeking to create art. I follow a simple philosophy when crafting a menu, weather it is for a restaurant or a catered affair such as a wedding, birthday, bar mitzvah, graduation, office party or even a funeral. one thing is ever present in a menu I have written — enthusiasm; for the people that inspired it, for the ingredients that weave throughout it and most importantly for the individuals who will be enjoying the carte du jour created for them.

when conceptualizing the menu for a new restaurant, or tweaking the menu at an old watering hole, I find it is important to create a story, a story of the food and the farmers, heritage of the community and of the location housing the restaurant. when I embark on the journey of crafting a menu for a catered affair, I spend time getting to know the person or people for whom the menu is being created. Does the birthday girl have memories of sugar plum fairies, or grilled cheese sandwiches served with

tomato soup? Did uncle Don eat bacon at every meal, God rest his soul? I am searching for food memories that stand out from the past; ingredients that touch them on an emotional level, and family traditions.

secondly, I embrace the seasons, and the bounty of that season. Always at the vanguard of the time of year are the local offerings. What is rising from the earth around me, grazing on the land of the valley to the south and swimming in the sea to the west and, of course, how is it farmed, raised or caught.

Thirdly, what makes it better and different than anything they have had before? will I olive oil-poach the fish for a soft, supple texture, or grill it over red wine barrel staves to add an oaky, earthy element to enhance the experience.

Lastly, I have always found that personality is a strength on a menu as much as it is on a stage. Once a menu is created and decided upon, the real work begins. How does that menu translate to the dining room, the banquet hall or even the childhood home of the bride to be? How will the perfect menu be perfectly executed? If I slice the steak before it is plated, will it retain its heat long enough to get to the guest hot? a great menu that cannot be executed is only fun to read once!

now, I have said for years, anyone can cook a steak, but you have to be able to sell the sizzle. I joked earlier that creating a menu is much like an artist painting a masterpiece. I'm not lopping of an ear or anything crazy like that, but it is true for me that I want to find the right canvas. I must select the perfect colors and I must have the final image, the piece de resistance set in my mind. now, unlike cooking, which has come very naturally to me, I have had to work very hard, and taken a lot of criticism in the process, to get to a point where people pay me to criticize their menus.

I have been writing and proofing menus for a very long time and have seen my fair share of mis-worded, over-capitalized and poorly described menu items. I love it when someone connects a title to an item such a California burger but smothers it in mushrooms and Swiss cheese, because nothing says California like mushrooms and Swiss. Really? Is that like a Denver omelet with tomatoes and sausage? I am all about creativity and expression through my food, but there are some ... call them fundamentals ... that are kind of adhered to. If you're going to serve a "classic" like fish and chips, you can throw an Asian slant at it by dipping it in tempura and serving it with a cucumber slaw and salted wonton chips, but you don't throw bleu cheese into a Chinese Chicken Salad and say, "look how creative I am." it doesn't work!

On a brighter note, Comics for Kids is right around the corner, on March 27. I will join 23 of Monterey's finest chefs to help prepare a benefit dinner for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County. Talk about planning a menu. Four teams of three will serve 800 guests (200 each) while another six handle the hors d' oeuvres reception and yet another six do desserts and pastries after the live performance by Jay Leno.

Online registration and tickets are still available at www.bgcmc.org. Please come out and support a worthy cause and vital part of our community. Cheers!

Chef Todd is the proprietor of Chef Todd Food Concepts, Monterey County's premier caterer, restaurant specialist and consultant. To contact him or send your comments, e-mail cheftoddsdish@gmail.com.

Crafting a perfect menu