Amuse-Bouche

introduction
 
AMUSE:
 
To entertain or occupy in a light, playful, or pleasant manner; to appeal to the sense of humor; to supply amusement or diversion by specially prepared or contrived methods.
AMUSE-BOUCHE:
 
Little bites of food to amuse the mouth, invigorate the palate, whet the appetite.
I vividly recall my first trip to France in 1980. After the plane landed, I waited impatiently in line at immigration. As soon as I left the terminal, I grabbed a cab and raced into Paris, worried that I might miss my reservation at Jamin, Joël Robuchon’s famed restaurant. I had booked the table at least six months earlier, and during my flight across the Atlantic, my taste buds were primed for the meal to come. Once I was seated in the beautiful, flower-filled room, a tiny bite of ethereal food was placed in front of me. It was my very first exposure to the custom of greeting a diner with amuse-bouche.
 
I was completely charmed, and immediately made amuse-bouche part of my own menus. Over the years, I have become well known for them, which is a reputation I am happy to have. I especially appreciate the high level of hospitality that an amuse conveys, because for me, hospitality is the bedrock of a great restaurant.
 
Everyone who walks into my restaurant, Tru, is greeted with an amuse-bouche—an intriguing bite of absolutely delicious food that is my way of saying, “Welcome, I hope you enjoy your meal.” Other fine restaurants practice this very French tradition, but I have a true passion for it. These little treats are so tasty, so exquisitely rendered, so beautifully presented and jewellike, that today I offer eight selections. We recently served four customers at a single table twelve amuse each, an event that turned their evening into a kind of sit-down cocktail party. This led to the creation of our amuse tasting menu.
 
At Tru, we are so well known for our amuse, that we prepare more than five hundred pieces of six to eight different ones every day. The selection changes constantly, depending on the season, the availability of ingredients, and, I freely admit, how whimsical I am feeling. All of the offerings receive the same attention to detail and fine ingredients that you will find in the recipes on these pages.
 
Until now, no book has focused on these tiny culinary treasures. There have been books about hors d’oeuvres, tapas, and appetizers. Made a little larger, many of my amuse-bouche are lovely when served in these ways. I do hope, though, that you will kick off your next dinner party or holiday feast with an amuse or two, and delight in the enchantment they will bring to your table.
 
THE FUN OF THE AMUSE
 
I love the amuse because it allows me to both create dishes that are absolutely perfect and beautiful and to have a zany sense of fun. At Tru, we like to call our cuisine “fine dining with a sense of humor.” The amuse appeals to my philosophy that no one should take food too seriously, even while they are serious about food. I cook as a way to express love, nurturing, and comfort. I don’t approach it intellectually, although I admire those who do. To me, food should, above all else, taste good. If it does not, you run the risk of cooking soulless food. What could be sadder?
 
I am not formally trained, although I have apprenticed my craft with some of the best chefs in the business and have learned in some of the finest kitchens. Because of this, I have come to appreciate the spectrum of what is the best—be it the best burger or the best foie gras, the best French fries or the best caviar. My culinary education has been a movable feast, a school without walls. This encourages me to think outside the box. I may be grounded in proper technique but I am not tethered to it, which explains why I so love the amuse.
 
None of the amuse recipes is particularly complicated, although many rely on ingredients you might not use every day. I cherish cooking with all that the good green earth has to offer, often straying from the known to create little gems with foods with which I may not be as familiar. But, let’s face it, at the end of the day, beyond tasting good, food’s mission is to bring joy, excitement, and pleasure to the heart, soul, and all five senses. I hope these recipes inspire you—I do not mean for them to intimidate in any way. These recipes are simple, delicious, and accessible. Have fun!
 
THE BEST INGREDIENTS
 
An amuse is meant to tickle the palate, to bewitch the eye and tongue, but because it is not the main course or even the first course, it can also be lighthearted and provocative. The concept may be new to you, but once you grasp it, let your imagination run wild. Add your own creative twists and turns, and use this tiny first course to indulge in exotic or expensive ingredients, to try new cooking techniques, or to use those plates and cups that don’t quite fit with the rest of your dinnerware.
 
An amuse should explode in the mouth with flavor and texture. After meeting this criterion, it can be elegant or casual, made with expensive or everyday ingredients. For example, the Forest Mushroom Terrine is a great way to try the cream-, beige-, and mahogany-colored mushrooms overflowing in greenmarket baskets every fall. On a more humble level, if you’ve never cooked grits, try the Creamy Corn Grits with Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn and discover their wonderful versatility and kinship with polenta.
 
Both the Red, Gold, White, and Candy-Striped Beets with Beet Juice Reduction and the Heirloom Tomatoes, “Panzanella Style” exemplify how I exalt in exploiting the seasons. When beets or tomatoes are at their best, I buy every variety I can lay my hands on for the sheer joy of experiencing their colors, textures, and subtle differences in taste.
 
Nothing beats a carefully tended fruit or vegetable at its peak, and this explains why I organized the recipes according to season. As do many chefs and farmers, I feel passionate about respecting the seasons. How else can we avoid depleting the planet and guarantee that there is abundant and pure food for our children and grandchildren? It’s no hardship to wait for spring for plump, juicy strawberries or fall for crisp apples. The anticipation only serves to make the experience that much more enjoyable. I wait all year for perfectly ripe watermelon so I can serve Watermelon Cube with Aged Balsamic Vinegar. No dish is purer than this one and no recipe underscores better how the best ingredients conspire to create the most pristine and best-tasting food.
 
EXPERIMENT WITH LUXURY
 
If many of these recipes allow the home cook to experiment with fresh, simple flavors and seasonal foods, others are opportunities to luxuriate in ingredients that may be too expensive, too intense, or too foreign to serve on a large scale. Ocean-fresh squid, sweet-tasting lobster, inky imported caviar, voluptuous foie gras, heady truffles, sumptuous sweetbreads, tiny quail eggs, aged balsamic vinegar, and delicate zucchini blossoms qualify as foods many home cooks would love to serve but are not sure how to do so. The same is true for crumbly imported cheeses, sushi-quality tuna, Norwegian salmon, rich smoked goose breast, fruity extra-virgin olive oil, and juicy, deep-red blood oranges.
 
This, then, is the glory of the amuse. It can be made with nearly anything that catches your fancy. For the curious cook, this is thrilling because it means that the small bottle of rich nut oil, the seductive fat-streaked Italian Parma ham, the plump, briny oysters, the fresh sardines, and the passion fruit puree can find a place at the dinner party, regardless of what is planned for later. An amuse does not necessarily have bearing on the rest of the meal.
 
This is reassuring, but so is the reality that many of these amuse can become significant players. For instance, the Chilled Asparagus Soup with Crème Fraîche offers an intense sip of liquid asparagus when served as an amuse, yet the recipe can be doubled and served as a first course or very light main course; ditto for the Bulgur Salad with Watercress and Toasted Walnut Puree. The Asian Soba Noodle Fork with Water Chestnuts could be a substantial first course, and the Ahi Tuna Cube with Toasted Black and White Sesame Seeds makes an outstanding passed hors d’oeuvre.
 
This is true of many of the amuse. I feel that if an amuse is more than a bite and a half, it ceases being an amuse and becomes an appetizer. When it’s only a bite, it can be an hors d’oeuvre, so elusive is the line between amuse and hors d’oeuvre. Hostesses and caterers who complain that they have run out of good ideas for party food need look no further!