Foodservice Venues
Menu Styles
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7
CHAPTER Menus come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and types. This vital communication tool helps guests select the foods and beverages each time they enter a foodservice venue. Providing guests with options is key as an increasing number of people are looking for nutritious but flavorful dishes. Nutritious menu planning involves evaluating the composition of a dish and making modifications that transform recipes into healthy, flavorful dishes.
Objectives SECTION 7-1 • Explain the functions of a menu. • Describe foodservice venues. • Differentiate between menu classifications and menu types. • Summarize regulations menus must legally follow. SECTION 7-2 • Describe factors to consider when evaluating menus. • Summarize common menu mix categories. • Describe menu purchasing options. SECTION 7-3 • Identify dietary considerations to assess when modifying menus. • Summarize the culinary nutrition recipe-modification process. SECTION 7-4 • Identify the requirements for successful menu descriptions. • Describe how the placement of menu items affects the sale of nutritious dishes. • List factors to consider with respect to perceived value. • Explain how menu promotions can stimulate business.
222 Culinary Nutrition Principles and Applications
Cooking Techniques. Healthy cooking techniques should produce flavorful food while retaining the maximum amount of nutrients. A well-executed menu has dishes that highlight a variety of healthy cooking techniques such as grilling, broiling, roasting, sautéing, steaming, and poaching. Regardless of the cooking technique, the prepared menu items should highlight the natural flavors found in quality ingredients. Sensory Qualities. Menu items should appeal to all five senses by using a variety of colors, textures, and flavors to provide guests with an exceptional dining experience. See Figure 7-22. For example, a fajita plays to the sense of hearing as it sizzles on the hot serving plate. As the fajita is set before the guest, the spicy aromas and colorful red, green, and yellow peppers appeal to the senses of smell and sight. The tortilla and meat paired with the contrasting crunch of sautéed vegetables creates a complementary texture and mouthfeel. When topped with a squeeze of lime, the fajita provides a depth of flavor that appeals to the taste buds. Sensory Qualities
Photo Courtesy of Perdue Foodservice, Perdue Farms Incorporated
Figure 7-22. Menu items should appeal to all five senses by using a variety of colors, textures, and flavors to provide guests with an exceptional dining experience.
Plate Composition. The composition of food on the plate should create a visual impression that builds anticipation for the food about to be consumed. This can be achieved by using a variety of colors, shapes, textures, and heights to create a well-balanced, appealing presentation. Plate composition also involves serving appropriate portion sizes to provide nutritionally balanced meals. A healthy plate consists of ¹⁄₂ of vegetables and fruits, ¹⁄₄ of starch, and ¹⁄₄ of protein. An effective strategy for ensuring that the plate composition is visually appealing and appropriately portioned is to map out the plated presentation. Chef’s Tip Because garnishes enhance the presentation of a dish by contributing color, texture, and flavor they should be planned along with the menu item to achieve maximum impact.
Culinary Nutrition RecipeModification Process The recipe-modification process involves changing an existing recipe to make it more nutritious while maintaining the integrity of the original dish. Recipes are commonly modified to reduce sugars, fats, sodium, and calories. See Figure 7-23. In some instances, recipes are modified based on a specific ingredient. For example, guests with celiac disease require that modifications be made to recipes containing gluten. Modifying recipes to create healthier versions often involves ingredient substitutions and ingredient alternatives. An ingredient substitution is an ingredient that replaces an item of similar characteristics. Low-fat sour cream is an example of an ingredient substitution for full-fat sour cream. An ingredient alternative is an ingredient that replaces an item of different characteristics. Quinoa is an example of an ingredient alternative for rice. Changing ingredients may involve remaking a recipe several times in order to ensure that the integrity of the original recipe is upheld.
Chapter 7 — Nutritious Menu Planning 223
Modifications for Sugars, Fats, and Sodium Ingredients to Evaluate
Goal
Possible Modifications
Reduce sugars
• • • • •
Granulated sugar Brown sugar Molasses Honey Syrups
• Reduce total amount of sugars in recipe • Replace sugars with fruit, fruit purées, and fruit juice • Caramelize fruits and vegetables for natural sweetness • Replace sugars with sweet spices like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom • Serve reduced sugar dishes at room temperature to enable taste buds to detect greater sweetness
Reduce fats
• • • • • •
Butter Oil Shortening Lard Hydrogenated oils Animal-based foods
• Replace cream-based soups with stockbased soups • Replace fats with vegetable and fruit purées • Add small amounts of intensely flavored oils • Replace fats with vinegar, citrus zest/juice, or nectar • Use egg whites instead of whole eggs • Use lean cuts of meat and poultry • Remove skin from poultry • Trim fat from meats • Use healthy cooking techniques
Reduce sodium
• Salt and spice mixes • Purchased stocks, bases, salad dressings • Soy sauce • Worcestershire sauce • Canned goods • Capers and olives • Smoked/cured foods
• Replace salt and spice mixes with fresh herbs, spices, and acidic ingredients • Use reduced sodium stocks, bases, dressings, and sauces • Rinse heavily salted products • Use seasonal whole foods for optimal flavors
Figure 7-23. Recipes are commonly modified to reduce sugars, fats, sodium, and calories.
Cooking techniques may also change when recipes are modified. As a result, cooking times or temperatures may need adjusting. Ingredient changes coupled with modified cooking techniques can make a dish more nutritious yet still appealing. For example, deep-fried fish coated in a thick flour batter is generally high in fat and calories. Instead, lightly coating fish in whole grain bread crumbs and toasted pecans and then baking the fish produces a nutrient-dense dish that is still crunchy and flavorful. The culinary nutrition recipe-modification process helps ensure the best possible results when modifying recipes. The six steps of
the culinary nutrition recipe-modification process are the following: 1. Evaluate the original recipe for sensory and nutritional qualities. 2. Establish goals for the recipe modification. 3. Identify modifications or substitutions. 4. Determine the functions of the identified modifications or substitutions. 5. Select appropriate modifications or substitutions. 6. Test the modified recipe to evaluate sensory and nutritional qualities. Chefs are often inspired to create signature dishes after modifying a recipe. Signature dishes add a unique flavor profile to the original recipe and can still be prepared in a healthy manner.
336
Culinary Nutrition Principles and Applications
CULINARY NUTRITION RECIPE-MODIFICATION PROCESS Chicken Burritos Tex-Mex cuisine is known for burritos, which typically consist of a flour tortilla wrapped around a filling of chicken or beef, cheese, beans, and rice. This recipe for a cheesy chicken and black bean burrito results in a hearty portion that is high in calories, fat, and sodium. The dish becomes even more caloric and higher in fat if topped with the traditional garnishes of sour cream and guacamole. Yield: 4 burritos (1 burrito each) Ingredients 1 tbsp ¹⁄₂ c 2 tsp 2 tsp 2c ¹⁄₂ tsp ¹⁄₈ tsp 2c 4 ea 2c 2c
lard yellow onion, small dice chili powder garlic, minced canned black beans, drained and rinsed kosher salt freshly cracked black pepper steamed white rice 8-inch flour tortillas roasted chicken, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. Heat lard in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, stirring frequently until slightly caramelized (approximately 4–5 minutes). 3. Add the chili powder and garlic, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. 4. Stir in the black beans, salt, and pepper. 5. Once the bean mixture is hot, add the rice and stir until combined and thoroughly heated. Remove skillet from heat. 6. Place tortillas on a sheet pan. Add ¹⁄₂ cup chicken followed by ¹⁄₂ cup cheese to each of the four tortillas. 7. Divide bean and rice mixture evenly among the four tortillas. 8. Roll tortillas and position them on the sheet pan seam-side down. Place sheet pan in the oven and bake until cheese is melted and filling is hot (approximately 10 minutes). 9. If desired, serve with garnishes such as sour cream, guacamole, and/or salsa.
Evaluate original recipe for sensory and nutritional qualities • • • •
Chicken burritos contain a variety of savory fillings. Portion size is large. Dish contains refined grains. Dish is high in calories, fat, and sodium.
Establish goals for recipe modifications • • • •
Reduce calories, fat, and sodium. Reduce portion size. Replace refined grains with whole grains. Build layers of flavor, add color, and increase nutrients.
Identify modifications or substitutions • • • •
Use substitutions and reduce the amount of beans, rice, chicken, and cheese. Use a substitution for the flour tortillas and use smaller tortillas. Use an alternative ingredient for lard and reduce the amount. Add more spice, colorful produce, and aromatics.
Determine functions of identified modifications or substitutions • • • •
Filling adds flavor, texture, and volume to burritos. Flour tortillas add texture and keep the filling contained. Lard prevents cooked items from sticking. Additional spice, colorful produce, and aromatics will build flavor, increase visual appeal, and add nutrients.
Select appropriate modifications or substitutions • • • •
Use 1 cup no-salt-added canned beans, ¹⁄₂ cup brown rice, 1 cup chicken breast, and ¹⁄₂ cup reduced-fat cheese. Substitute 6-inch whole-grain tortillas for 8-inch flour tortillas. Replace lard with canola oil and use less. Add cumin, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and lime.
Test modified recipe to evaluate sensory and nutritional qualities •
• • •
Using reduced amounts of beans, rice, chicken breast, and reduced-fat cheese maintains flavor and texture and reduces portion size, calories, fat, and sodium content. Six-inch whole-grain tortillas and brown rice add whole grains and reduce portion size. Replacing lard with less canola oil prevents items from sticking and lowers calories and saturated fat. The addition of cumin, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and lime heighten flavor and presentation and increase nutrient density.
Chapter 10 — Poultry & Meats on the Menu
Modified Chicken Burritos With this modification, less filling is used to reduce burritos to a more appropriate portion size, which lowers calories and fat. Whole-grain tortillas are used instead of refined flour tortillas, and brown rice is used instead of white. This keeps dietary fiber high and is only slightly less than the original recipe despite the smaller portion size. Using no-salt-added canned beans, canola oil instead of lard, and less reduced-fat cheese also decrease calories and fat as well as sodium. Flavor is built, nutrients are added, and presentation is improved with additional spice, vegetables, and aromatics. Yield: 4 burritos (1 burrito each) Ingredients 1 tsp ¹⁄₂ c 2 tsp 1 tsp 2 tsp 1c 1c ¹⁄₄ tsp ¹⁄₈ tsp ¹⁄₂ c 4 ea 1c ¹⁄₂ c ¹⁄₂ ea 4 tbsp 1 ea
canola oil yellow onion, small dice chili powder ground cumin garlic, minced canned, no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped kosher salt freshly cracked black pepper steamed brown rice 6-inch whole-grain tortillas roasted chicken breast, skinned and shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded avocado, cut into 4 slices fresh cilantro, chopped lime, quartered
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Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, stirring frequently until slightly caramelized (approximately 4–5 minutes). 3. Add the chili powder, cumin, and garlic, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. 4. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook until beans are hot and tomatoes break down slightly (approximately 4–5 minutes). 5. Add the rice and stir until combined and thoroughly heated. Remove skillet from heat. 6. Place tortillas on a sheet pan. Add ¹⁄₄ cup chicken followed by 2 tbsp cheese to each of the four tortillas. 7. Divide bean and rice mixture evenly among the four tortillas and top each with 1 slice of avocado, 1 tbsp cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. 8. Roll tortillas and position them on the sheet pan seam-side down. Place sheet pan in the oven and bake until cheese is melted and filling is hot (approximately 10 minutes). 9. If desired, serve with garnishes such as nonfat Greek yogurt, hot sauce, and/or salsa. Chef’s Tip: A burrito garnished with ¹⁄₄ cup nonfat Greek yogurt and ¹⁄₄ cup salsa adds 55 calories and 0 g of fat to the finished dish. In contrast, a burrito garnished with ¹⁄₄ cup sour cream and ¹⁄₄ cup guacamole adds 200 calories and 20 g of fat to the finished dish.
Chicken Burrito Nutritional Comparison Nutrition Facts
Original
Modified
Calories
769.7
383.9
Total Fat Saturated Fat Sodium Dietary Fiber
31.3 g
13.8 g
15.8 g
3.2 g
1246.1 mg
431.5 mg
9.9 g
8.2 g
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Culinary Nutrition Principles and Applications
CULINARY NUTRITION RECIPE-MODIFICATION PROCESS Signature Chicken Burrito Bowl This signature chicken burrito bowl is quick to prepare, packed with fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients, and customizable. It is filled with healthy fats, dietary fiber, and protein. The wide variety of colorful ingredients also enhance flavor and presentation. For an extra layer of flavor, a creamy chipotle-lime dressing made with Greek yogurt is drizzled over the top. Yield: 4 servings (12–13 oz each) Ingredients Dressing ³⁄₄ c 1 ea + 1 tsp 2 tbsp ¹⁄₄ tsp ¹⁄₄ tsp ¹⁄₈ tsp 1 ea Burrito bowl 1 tsp ¹⁄₂ c 2 tsp 2 tsp 1c to taste to taste 1c 1c ¹⁄₂ c ¹⁄₄ c ¹⁄₄ c 1 tbsp 2c 1c ¹⁄₂ c ¹⁄₄ c 1 ea
nonfat Greek yogurt chipotle pepper in adobo sauce cilantro, chopped cumin Mexican oregano kosher salt lime, freshly squeezed canola oil yellow onion, small dice garlic, minced chili powder canned, no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed kosher salt freshly cracked black pepper steamed brown rice tomatoes, diced avocado, diced frozen corn, defrosted black olives, chopped pickled jalapeños, chopped romaine lettuce, shredded roasted chicken breast, skinned and shredded baked tortilla chips, lightly crushed reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded lime, quartered
Preparation Dressing 1. Combine yogurt, chipotle pepper, 1 tsp adobo sauce, cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt, and lime juice in a blender and purée until smooth. Set aside. Burrito bowl 1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly caramelized (approximately 5– 6 minutes). 2. Add garlic and chili powder and stir constantly until fragrant (approximately 1 minute). 3. Add black beans, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine. 4. Add rice and stir until heated. Reduce heat to low. 5. Combine tomatoes, avocado, corn, olives, and jalapeños in a medium bowl, mix well, and set aside. 6. Evenly divide bean and rice mixture into four bowls and top each with ¹⁄₂ cup shredded lettuce, ¹⁄₂ cup tomato mixture, ¹⁄₄ cup shredded chicken, and 3 tbsp of dressing. 7. Garnish each with 2 tbsp crushed tortilla chips, 1 tbsp cheese, and a lime wedge.
Chicken Burrito and Burrito Bowl Nutritional Comparison Nutrition Facts
Original
Modified
Signature
Calories
769.7
383.9
368.4
Total Fat Saturated Fat Sodium Dietary Fiber Protein
31.3 g
13.8 g
12.0 g
15.8 g
3.2 g
2.9 g
1246.1 mg
431.5 mg
420.5 mg
9.9 g
8.2 g
10.4 g
51.7 g
23.6 g
27.4 g