The amuse-bouche is the French word for appetiser. In Australia we tend to call these little pre-meal delicacies ‘hors d’oeuvres’, and to the Italians they are antipasto. In France in the 15th century, hors d’oeuvres was used as an architectural term that referred to an outbuilding, the ‘hors d’oeuvre’, or ‘outside the work’. By the 16th century it had somehow segued into culinary terminology, as referring to before the ’work’ of the main course!
Despite the descriptive terminology, these little bites of deliciousness have a clear purpose. They are intended to whet but not quash the appetite, welcome the guest, and give everyone a moment together before the ‘oeuvre’ or meal, to come together, and ease the ravenous hunger.
I love serving a selection of amuse-bouches; they are a chance to get even more creative than with the meal and tempt the palate with tasty little bursts of flavour. Sometimes, by serving a selection of appetisers, I will dispense with a first course and head straight to the main dish, which works perfectly for a casual evening.
The idea is for the amuse-bouches to excite the imagination as much as the palate; that is the main reason why I love serving our beautiful and special chux pastry Comte gougères, straight from the oven immediately opun my guests’ arrival. The aroma of them baking in the oven and then from the serving plate is always much appreciated, as is their flavour, texture and taste.
So think of a few of your favourites; take care not to overload your guests with too many, and especially not with heavy cheeses. Keep the amuse-bouches light and reasonably simple, such as fresh oysters with lemon juice are wonderful in winter, August especially, steamed asparagus with a hollandaise sauce in spring, a plate of seasonal tiny tomatoes in summer, served alone or with some fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella and fresh figs with gorgonzola in autumn!
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- Oysters often feature in our cooking classes
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- Tomatoes picked from my balcony garden
As for drinks, my suggestion is to serve one. We always serve Champagne, because we love it. It is said that this creates harmony, with all the guests sipping the same thing, their palates are on the same page! I think it makes for a wonderful evening, and a perfect start to enjoying the dishes that follow.
I always include the art of choux pastry and the making of gougères in the French Odyssey – Journey through France cooking classes, so if you wish to learn all about these delightful and delicious sensations, book into the next class. Check the calendar on the website or follow this link.
