Product Description

Amuse-bouche (pronounced ah-myuz boosh) are today what hors d'oeuvres were to America in the 1950s: a relatively unknown feature of French culinary tradition that, once introduced, immediately became standard fare. Chefs at many fine restaurants offer guests an amuse-bouche, a bite-sized treat that excites the tongue and delights the eye, before the meal is served. Nobody does it better than the celebrated executive chef/partner of Chicago’s Tru, Rick Tramonto. Amuse-bouche are a fa-vorite of diners at Tru, many of whom come expressly to enjoy the “grand amuse"--an assortment of four different taste sensations.

Amuse-Bouche offers an array of recipes, from elegant and sophisticated to casual and surprising—but always exquisite—that will inspire home cooks to share these culinary jewels with their guests. From Black Mission Figs with Mascarpone Foam and Prosciutto di Parma to Curried Three-Bean Salad, from Soft Polenta with Forest Mushrooms to Blue Cheese Foam with Port Wine Reduction, Tramonto’s creations will embolden the novice and the experienced cook alike to experiment with unfamiliar ingredients and techniques.

Organized by type of amuse and season of the year, the book also includes a directory of sources for specialty products. With more than a hundred recipes and with fifty-two full-page color photographs by James Beard Award--winning photographer Tim Turner, Amuse-Bouche enchants the eyes as much as an amuse pleases the palate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15490 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-22
• Released on: 2002-10-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Amazon.com
Many of the best restaurants tantalize diners' palates with charming, intensely flavored tastes that tickle the tongue and delight the eye. A tiny serving to whet the palate, an amuse-bouche (literally, "mouth amusement") sets diners up for what is to come. Rick Tramonto, executive chef of Chicago's widely acclaimed Tru restaurant, is well known for his passion for and commitment to these bite-size treats. In Amuse-Bouche: Little Bites That Delight Before the Meal Begins, he shares the art of creating these miniature delights. While most people won't find many occasions to serve amuse-bouche at home, the recipes are easily adapted to become passed hors d'oeuvres, first courses, or even main courses. From Chilled Fava Bean Soup with Seared Scallops, to Blue Cheese Foam with Port Wine Reduction, to Charred Lamb with Truffled Vinaigrette and Oven-Dried Tomatoes, this book offers something for every taste. Surprisingly, most of the dishes are exceedingly simple to prepare, often consisting of just four or five ingredients. As might be expected, the success of the recipes is dependent not so much on involved cooking techniques or complicated combinations of flavors but rather on the selection of a few high-quality ingredients. Creamy Corn Grits with Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn, for instance, starts with ever-so-humble beginnings to ultimately showcase the bright flavor of corn and the hearty sweetness of butternut squash. With more than a hundred clever and inspiring recipes, Amuse-Bouche will surely not fail to amuse. --Robin Donovan

From Publishers Weekly
Breaking new ground in a previously untackled area of cuisine, the executive chef of TRU restaurant in Chicago and coauthor with Gale Gand of Just a Bite, Tramonto (who also coauthored Butter, Flour, Sugar, Eggs), has paired up with Goodbody to explore the world of Amuse-Bouche, "Little bites of food to amuse the mouth, invigorate the palate, whet the appetite." To this end, the author has produced recipes designed to create a mouthful of delight, whether a spoonful of salad, an espresso cup of soup or a scoop of savory sorbet. Giving the book greater scope, Tramonto suggests that the dishes, such as the simple, flavorful Warm Onion Tart with Thyme, can be used as hors d'oeuvre, "so elusive is the line between." Many of the portions can be expanded or multiplied to form starters or a light main course. Other recipes given a new look are bean salad, which with the addition of curry oil becomes Curried Three Bean Salad, and Potato Salad, which is spiced with cayenne pepper. The recipes require a variety of skill levels and time, although there are always several suitable for all occasions and aptitudes.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
An amuse-bouche is a special little tidbit served as a treat at the beginning of the meal in many upscale restaurants, and Tramonto, chef of Chicago's acclaimed Tru, is a master of the form. Instead of just one, he presents four amuses, or sometimes even more, to each guest. He finds these little bites a perfect way to experiment with flavors and ingredients-and to have fun doing so (he describes the food at Tru as "fine dining with a sense of humor"). But sophisticated as his amuses are, they translate surprisingly well to the home kitchen. Because they are prepared on such a small scale and often include only a few ingredients, the better to highlight individual flavors, preparation of many of them, such as Watermelon Cube with Aged Balsamic, is not the lengthy process typical of most chefs' recipes. Not that there aren't more complicated recipes, too, such as Seared Cumin-Crusted Squab with Horseradish Gastrique, but the recipe instructions are clearly written and accessible. Tramonto also points out that these little bites are a great way for home cooks to serve an ingredient that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive (as in Warm Mini Foie Gras Club Sandwiches) or to taste an unfamiliar, "exotic" ingredient. For most collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

From Hannibal Lecter's Table to Yours
I really enjoyed the idea of this book. I was familiar with the title words from both my culinary readings and my dining experiences, but I had never heard it used in American popular culture until I saw the movie "Red Dragon" several years ago. Hannibal Lecter was serving a small dish (later we discover that it was a body part of an unfortunate flutist) to the Baltimore Symphony board when one of the members asked "Hannibal, what is this divine looking amuse-bouche?". Dr. Lecter replied (in the bone-chilling manner that Anthony Hopkins perfected for this character) "If I tell you... I'm afraid that you won't even try it".

One of the advantages of serving an amuse-bouche is that the home cook can use ingredients that would be too expensive to use in a main course (truffles, caviar, pate, etc.) except for the most special of occasions. Although I have tried several of the recipes in this wonderful book, many of them require specialized equipment that only the most advanced home cook would have in his/her arsenal (things like a "cream whipper" for producing foams, specialty juicers, meat slicers, a Japanese potato mandolin, and so on).

Don't get me wrong, I have most of the above equipment and I've prided myself in the past for trying to tackle any recipe, regardless of how difficult the technique or how laborious the preparation. Although it was always a great learning exercise for me, in the end I could have achieved similar results with less work.

Regarding the illustrations; the photographs are well done but the reproduction quality in the book (maybe even the paper stock itself) causes them to appear dull and flat. Glossier paper might have helped. The photographer (Tim Turner) uses only two different photographic techniques; an extremely shallow depth of field (see the photo for the Warm Onion Tart with Thyme) and then a sharper, view camera-style overhead shot (such as the one used to illustrate the Soft Polenta with Forest Mushroom recipe). The lighting source seems to be mostly a large light-box which only adds to the overall softness and the lack of contrast in the photos. Including an additional side-light source would have added some snap to the shots. I also think that it would have added a more approachable feel to the illustrations had they used more natural looking sets (as in the Saffron-Champagne Sorbet photo) instead of the obvious studio arrangements. Also, since presentation is a major element in serving an Amuse-bouche, there are far too few photos, especially for a book with a $35 price tag. Still, the composition and design of the photographs are exquisite. That could be the work of Mr. Turner or of a talented art director and/or food stylist.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to serve something special to friends and family, but the recipes are too involved for most of us to use on a regular basis. I would love to see a book on this theme that uses some of the fine prepared products found on Amazon's Gourmet Food section or in specialty grocery stores. Until then, I am afraid that the amuse-bouche will never make the leap from a French culinary curiosity to a common offering in US homes, a leap that the appetizer successfully accomplished decades ago.

amuse-bouche

Loved the pictures and the instruction. Delightful recipes. A little bit advanced but still "doable". Have made around a dozen dishes from it and have at least two dozen more that I want to make.

I wish
Wow what an awesome book. While living in NYC and Miami, I didn't have a hard time finding interesting ingredients like razor clams, squab and foie gras, but living in an area with limited grocery stores I feel abandoned. If I thought that Foley Fish would ship me 4 Kumamoto oysters without killing me on shipping and handling I would so do it. Or if Chef Tramonto would kindly give me a substitution I would be so pleased. The lay out of the book is great and the presentations are inspiring. I guess on my next trip to a greater metropolitan I will pack ziploc bags and dry ice instead of shoes and makeup.