The Beauty of the Amuse Bouche

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 have always enjoyed the concept of the Amuse Bouche. It is a pleasant and exciting way to stimulate the palate of your guest before their meal. Not only is it a way to make your guest feel special, it is a great opportunity to experiment with new ideas with food. At the restaurant we present our guests with a different amuse bouche every night. Sometimes these are thought out a day in advance, other times they are created on a whim. It is the whimsical amuse bouches that always seem to excite me. Enticing tastes that are created in the head of the cook, in the moment. The bouche can be elegant, playful, comical, rich, exotic, all depeding on the mood of its creator. For example, a parody of the Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast. Consisting of miniature hash, bite size brioche french toast, pancetta bacon, and of course, one quail egg cooked to order. The amuse bouche is a great way for the chef/cook to play with new ideas and experiment with flavor combinations. I had the opportunity to create the amuse bouche last night and I was quite pleased with its outcome(see photo). I was almost trying to capture the different flavors and textures of an entire cheese plate in one bite. I wanted to taste salt, pepper, the crunch of a toast point, the richness of wine, the creaminess of cheese, and the sweetness of fruit. For this whimsical amuse bouche, I began by poaching asian pears in cabernet with cinnamon and allspice. From there I quartered some fresh figs and creamed a bit of camembert cheese. Utilized some left over sherry reduction and buzzed some walnuts to create a dust. The final result was Black Mission Fig and Poached Pear with Creamed Camembert En Croute with Walnut Dust and Sherry Reduction. The different flavors and textures managed to hit many different parts of my palate. I was pleased with the outcome and received some good feedback. It is days like these that remind me why I truly love the craft of cooking. To see the reaction of someone who has enjoyed your creation, to receive praise and appreciation for your efforts, and to know that you have been able to create a sensation of joy and delight for your guest. Ah, the beauty of the Amuse Bouche.