Portions: 24 Portion size: 1⁄2chicken breast
2 oz (60 mL) sauce, plus garnish
U.S. Metric Ingredients Procedure
24 24 Boneless, skinless half 1. Select a baking pan just large enough to hold twelve chicken breasts, the chicken breasts in a single layer. Butter from 3-lb (1.2-kg) the inside of the pan.
chickens
as needed as needed Butter 2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
as needed as needed Salt Place them in the pan, presentation side (that as needed as needed White pepper is, the side that had the skin on) up.
1⁄4cup 60 mL Lemon juice 3. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and add enough 11⁄2qt 1.5 L Chicken stock, cold chicken stock to barely cover the chicken.
(approximately) (approximately) 4. Cover the chicken with a buttered piece of parchment or waxed paper.
5. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Finish poaching in a 325°F (165°C) oven or over low heat on the stove. Cooking time will be 5–10 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken breasts from the liquid.
Place them in a hotel pan, cover, and keep them warm.
Beurre manié: 7. Reduce the poaching liquid over high heat to 3 oz 90 g Butter, softened about 21⁄2pt (1.1 L).
3 oz 90 g Flour 8. Knead the butter and flour together to make a 21⁄2cups 600 mL Heavy cream, hot beurre manié (p. 120).
to taste to taste Salt 9. With a wire whip, beat the beurre manié into the simmering stock to thicken it. Simmer a minute to cook out any starchy taste.
10. Add the hot cream to the sauce. Season to taste.
72 72 Asparagus tips, 11. Place each chicken breast, well drained, on a cooked, hot plate and coat with 2 oz (60 mL) sauce.
Garnish with 3 asparagus tips. Serve immediately.
. PRODUCTION SHEET ,
The final step in reaching the goal of consistency in production is the production sheet. The information on a production sheet about the menu and the number of expected guests is taken from catering function sheets that present all of the de-tails for a catering function (see Figure 6.6). For each menu item to be produced
. Figure 6.6 , CATERING FUNCTION SHEET I
(Courtesy of Hotel Du Pont, Wilmington, Delaware)
during a given meal service, the production sheet lists the number of portions to be prepared, the food cost, and the selling price. After the function, the actual num-ber served is noted and the value of the waste from overproduction calculated.
The production sheet is also a tool that allows management to organize the pro-duction of multiple parties, indicating where a duplication of menu items will make kitchen production more effective. Figure 6.7 shows a catering production sheet.
The menu in Figure 6.8 is posted on the production sheet seen in Figure 6.6, as are two other functions. The total production count for this meal period is 375.
Although three different entre′es are being served, the salad and dessert are du-plicated on two menus, the vegetables on all three, and the potatoes on two.
Production Controls
145
. Figure 6.7 , PREFUNCTION PRODUCTION SHEET
. Figure 6.8 ,
COMPLETED CATERING PRODUCTION SHEET
Kitchen management for these three functions is greatly simplified by the abil-ity of the chef to review the combined menu requirements on the production sheet.
Both purchasing staff and the kitchen receive menu requirements well in ad-vance of the functions. Two weeks of planning time is needed by most hotels and caterers. This allows last-minute functions, changes, and emergencies to be han-dled as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible by means of written catering function change memos.
Following production, the actual number of items served as well as the ac-tual food cost is entered in the appropriate columns. Total food cost and food-cost percentage can now be calculated for each function as well as for the meal pe-riod by applying the food-cost formulas presented in Chapter 7.
total food cost ÷ total revenue = food cost %
Fluctuations in individual item costs as well as food-cost percentages can be identified for each function. Overage can also be analyzed and its source traced to either a reduction in the number of expected covers or overproduction in the kitchen. Most catering functions have a guarantee policy that requires payment for a predetermined guest count, helping the caterer absorb food costs when ac-tual guest counts fall short of the expected numbers.
The completed production sheet in Figure 6.9 details the actual food costs, revenues, and food-cost percentages for the meal period. For the sirloin filet, 175 portions were prepared, with an individual food cost of $4.59 and a total food cost of $803.20. The actual number served was 180, for an actual food cost of
$826.20. The selling price was $17, with total revenue of $3,060. Food-cost per-centage was calculated as 27 percent. Production overage was five portions with
. Figure 6.9 , COMPLETED PRODUCTION SHEET
a value of $85. The chef was required to locate five additional portions of sirloin filet to meet service needs. Total actual number served for the meal period was 381. Total actual food cost was $2,394.30 and total revenue $8,235. Overall food-cost percentage for all three functions was 30 percent.
. SALES-MIX EVALUATION ,
The sales mix is an evaluation of the sales pattern of major catering menu items.
Item sales are recorded over an established period and evaluated on the basis of two major factors: popularity and contribution to sales. In Figure 6.10, the sales of appetizer, entrée, and dessert items for a hotel catering department are recorded. At the end of the period, sales for each item are totaled and the per-centage of sales that each item represents calculated. The item is then ranked ac-cording to total sales in order to rate its popularity. The final step in the sales-mix process is to calculate the contribution to profit for each item. Decisions are then made about which items will remain on the catering menu item list and which will be deleted.
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147
. Figure 6.10 , CATERING MENU SALES MIX CATERING MENU SALES MIX
Items Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5