12 Course Meal Menu

1. Course One – Canapés. Since this course is typically served during a cocktail hour or as guests are arriving, “hors d’oeuvres” are usually finger-foods that can be held in the hand.
   
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2. Course Two – Amuse-bouche. This can be translated from French to mean “amuse the mouth” or more generally, to please guests’ palates with a small flavorful taste. Frequently, this might serve to stimulate the appetite or simply hint at flavors to come in the next meal course(s).
   
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3. Course Three – Soup / Bread. As with all of your courses, a classic idea is to relate your soup course to the season or can be swapped for freshly baked bread with home made flavoured butter or olive oil with balsamic.
   
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4. Course Four – Appetizer. In many parts of Europe, this course is referred to as the “entree” because it introduces the main courses in the meal. It is usually served on serving trays or small appetizer plates and features small cuts of meat, seasonal vegetables, starches, and sauces.
   
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5. Course Five – Salad. This course is usually an assortment of raw vegetables with a flavorful dressing. In some parts of Europe, salad is served after the main course, but it is also common to serve salad before.
   
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6. Course Six – Fish. This dish is a flavorful light protein before the main courses.
   
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7. Course Seven – First main course. The first main dish is often a white meat, such as chicken, duck, or turkey.
   
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8. Course Eight – Palate Cleanser. This is like a reset for your taste buds. Its purpose is to remove residual tastes from the mouth before the next course.
9. Course Nine – Second main course. Typically, the second main course is a red meat, such as premium beef, lamb, or venison.
   
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10. Course Ten – Cheese course. Create a platter of different cheeses along with items to accompany them.
    
    • Include a variety of cheese textures and flavors, such as aged, soft, firm, and blue cheeses
    • Choose a selection of breads and crackers
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11. Course Eleven – Dessert. Usually accompanied by a glass of dessert wine or coffee and tea, this is a sweet and decadent course.
    
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12. Course Twelve – Petit Four. At the end of the meal, you can serve a “mignardise”, which is a tiny, bite-sized dessert or pastry served with tea, coffee, port, brandy, or scotch.