In a Glass

Amuses in a glass are hip and trendy so your dinner party will be fun and entertaining.  Amuse comes from amuse-bouche, a French term which literally can be translated as ‘mouth amuser’.  It is a bite-size taster which can be served before or with one of the courses during a meal. 

Of course, you may find that one or more of the amuses in this book are so nice you just can’t stop eating them. Then just go ahead and turn the amuse into a fully-fledged starter.  Just double or triple the ingredients for the recipe. Serve the amuse with a salad or on a larger plate, with some freshly baked bread, and you have a lovely starter to wow your guests!

Besides the 28 amuses you can serve before the meal, there are also 7 which can be served as a dessert.  This phenomenon is becoming more and more popular in restaurants as well – they cleanse the palate to prepare the mouth for the sweet dessert that is to follow.

Francis Van Arkel Francis van Arkel develops recipes for cooking magazines and has written several cookbooks as well as working as a food stylist and food consultant.