Writing a menu for a ski chalet need not be a difficult task but it is something you should think about before you start applying for jobs – all ski chalet companies will almost certainly ask you for a six day menu plan as part of the application process. It doesn’t need to be a daunting task and by following some basic rules you can have one nailed in no time at all.
There are a number of basic ‘rules’ to writing a menu. Not all of them will apply to a ski chalet menu, but as a general rule, you’ll need to think about the following:
As a general rule a ‘ski chalet week’ runs from Saturday to Friday and its only 6 days as you have 1 day off mid-week, normally on Wednesday although this can vary. On this day, you do not need to prepare breakfast or dinner but you will need to leave breakfast laid out for your guests to help themselves to and a cake for tea.
Be organised about this – lay out 6 pieces of paper and label them, one for each day.
Put yourself in the position of your guests – you’ve paid a lot for your holiday, so what would you expect to see on the breakfast menu. You need to provide a regular continental breakfast each day along with 1 hot option - begin your menu plan by writing out your breakfast options on all your days, on Wednesday your day off it will be just a continental breakfast buffet which your guests will tidy up afterwards.
You should have: tea, coffee, orange juice, fresh bread, croissants, pain au chocolate, jam, butter, sugar, cereal, milk and yoghurt.
You should provide a hot option each day – we generally advise that each day is different, such as eggs benedict one day, scrambled eggs the next. If your daily hot option is good enough you won’t need to offer a full English every day. You may also have to serve porridge each day, it used to be very traditional but it is less so now. You could also consider adding pancakes to your menu if you’re a dab hand at making them and a fruit salad or fruit plate is a nice, healthy touch a few times a week.
You will need to provide afternoon tea for your guests each day and this should consist of a different cake each day, and perhaps a biscuit such as millionaires shortbread and flapjacks for your day off (or something similar that will keep well in an airtight container.) When planning your cakes, remember what we mentioned above, about avoiding repetition! Your cakes need not be hugely complex but there is one thing above all else that you must remember – cakes do not rise as well at altitude! So you will need to use what is widely accepted as the standard chalet hosts’ cake recipe – the foolproof yoghurt based cake that always rises and you can add any number of different flavorings to, to add some variety. It takes minutes to make and always works. Granny’s favorite Victoria sponge recipe will sadly have to be left off this menu!
"Writing a menu for a ski chalet need not be a difficult task but it is something you should think about before you start applying for jobs."
On to the main evening meal, we always suggest you start with the main course first and specifically the meat you will serve, this forms the basis of your meal and you build the rest of the dinner around this dish. So for example you are going to serve a breast of chicken, what are you going to do with it? Pan fry it, grill it, casserole it, cook it in the oven, stuff it, pour a sauce over it? If you have a recipe you have cooked lots before and know well then use it.
Once the meat is chosen you can then select your starch (potatoes, rice, pasta etc) and vegetables to compliment the dish. They should provide an array of colour, texture and flavour; make sure you avoid too much red e.g. tomato and orange sauce with carrots and sweet potatoes or making a meal white. Try and picture what your plate if food will look like when it is served and remember that things that are cooked in one large dish (such as lasagne) are very difficult to present beautifully! You need to be able to ‘assemble’ your food on the plate.
You can now move either way to the starter and dessert. Make sure your starter compliments the main meal, does not over power it in flavour or use any of the same main ingredients as the main course. You could choose a pea and mint soup for instance.
Now to the dessert – similar rules apply as for the tea & cakes, not too much chocolate or one type of pudding. It is generally sensible to avoid having 3 hot courses in the same meal, so a cold starter and hot dessert, or a hot starter and cold dessert… A dessert must also have good combinations of texture. Chocolate mousse on its own is not good enough – you’d need to serve something with it to add some crunch… A biscuit of some sort is acceptable (although a bit cliché!) How about a hazelnut tuille.
Vegetarian options need to be placed in for all main courses and where necessary for startes too. It is important to use as many ingredients from your main dish in your veggi option; this prevents you from having to prepare and cook many more things.
More than anything, think about how you write your menu - by this, we mean how you ‘phrase’ it. It is important to make the meal sound appetising as well as describing the main ingredients in it. It will only stand out from the rest if it reads well and makes the meal sound classy. If you read this menu what does it make you think?
Tomato soup
Roast pork with beans and mash
Vanilla cheesecake
Now read this menu and see what you think:
Tomato and basil soup with black olive pesto and freshly baked soda bread
Slow roasted pork belly with bramley apple sauce, French beans and creamy mashed potato
Baked vanilla cheesecake with balsamic strawberries
There’s a real difference isn’t there!
Once all your days are filled in check, check and re-check it for spelling and punctuation and ask 1 or 2 people to read it too. Check you have not repeated anything too often, a good way to do this is to read all the starters, mains and desserts across day by day.
Its critical you know how to cook and have cooked every dish you put on your menu plan before you go for an interview, countless people have been caught out by putting some elaborate dish on the menu because it sounds good but have no idea how it is made. When you are at an interview you will asked questions on your menu plan so it is important you know how to cook the dishes, have tasted them and also how you would serve them.
"It is important you know how to cook the dishes, have tasted them and also how you would serve them."
Written by the Tante Marie Culinary Academy, who run 4 week cookery courses that are ideal for chalet chefs.