Full course dinner

Form

In formal dining, a full course dinner can consist of 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 16 courses, and, in its extreme form, has been known to have 21 courses. In these more formalized dining events, the courses are carefully planned to complement each other gastronomically. The courses are smaller and spread out over a long evening, up to three, four or five hours. They follow conventions of menu planning that have been established over many years. Most courses (excluding some light courses such as sorbets) in the most formal full course dinners are usually paired with a different wine, beer, liqueur, or other spirit.

In service à la russe, courses are brought to the table in sequence. Only empty plates are set in front of each guest. Courses are served on platters, and guests make selections from a variety of dishes and fill their own plate. food presentation is skillfully focused on the platters. A filled plate is never placed in front of a guest because that would imply limited portions. Guests are expected to choose whatever they like and to eat as much as they want.

In service à la française, food is served "family-style", with all courses on the table at the same time. Guests serve themselves so that all dishes are not served at their optimum temperatures. Alternatively, buffet style is a variation of the French service where all food is available at the correct temperature in a serving space other than the dining table. Guests commute to the buffet to be served or sometimes serve themselves and then carry their plates back to the table.

In an American formal dining course, each course is served sequentially. Guests are served plates already filled with food in individual portions. Often, guests have an opportunity to choose between vegetarian or meat entrées. There is no opportunity to request something different or to ask for more than a single serving. However, portions are usually large. Since there are no platters, food presentation is focused on individual portions, skillfully decorated to look like art in which each plate is a masterpiece.

Table setting

Table settings can be elaborate. More formal settings sometimes include all silverware and glassware that will be needed for the entire meal, and lay out the silverware so that the outermost tools are used for the dishes appearing earliest on the menu. In this scheme, when diners are served the first course, they can depend on finding the correct implement at the outermost edge of the arrangement.

An alternative scheme arranges the place setting so that only the implements needed for the first one or two courses appear in the table setting. As the dinner progresses and new courses arrive, used implements are removed with the dishes, and new silverware is placed next to the plates. This scheme is commonly used when dinners are offered à la carte, so that the most appropriate implement is selected for a given course. For example, some diners may order clear, thin soups and others may order thick, creamy soups. As each of these soups has its own unique spoon, it would be considered improper and impractical to lay out a spoon that may not be needed.

Example meal

The first class passengers aboard the ill-fated ocean liner R.M.S. Titanic were served the following eleven course meal in the first class dining saloon on the night of April 14th, 1912:

First Course — Hors d'oeuvre

Second Course — Soups

Third Course — Fish

Fourth Course — Entrées

Fifth Course — Removes

Sixth Course — Punch or Sorbet

Seventh Course — Roast

Eighth Course — Salad

Ninth Course — Cold Dish

Tenth Course — Sweets

Eleventh Course — Dessert

After Dinner

1 course meal

1. Main course

2 course meal

1. Appetizer (Soup/Salad)
2. Main course

or

1. main course
2. dessert

3 course meal

1. Appetizer (Soup/Salad)
2. Main course
3. Dessert

4 course meal

1. Starter
2. Intermediate
3. Main course
4. Dessert

5 course meal

1. Entrée
2. Main Course
3. Sauce
4. Dessert
5. Cigars

6 course meal

1. Hors d'oeuvres/appetizer
2. Soup
3. Fish
4. Main Course
5. Salad
6. Dessert