Startling ! Amuse-bouche

Startling ! Amuse-bouche, a French term literally means mouth-amuser. These precursors to a meal are exactly that – bite sized, creations that combine intense taste sensations with artistry. Rushina Munshaw – Ghildiyal helps mE get started.

No, Amuse-bouche does no mean starters. Yes, they precede a meal. But, unlike starters, they are presented at the table in a single serving. Amuse-bouche offer guests a chance to get set with the 'flavour' of the evening.

Mushroom Cappuccino
A novel way to serve Mushroom soup. Serve it in miniature bowls or Espresso cups, topped with whipped cream and dusted with pepper. Ideal to serve before any continental meal or meal that has mushrooms.

100gms fresh button mushrooms (chopped)
20gms onions (finely chopped)
5gms garlic (finely chopped)
5gms butter
10ml white wine
200ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
To Garnish
10gms whipped cream and freshly ground pepper

Method In a nonstick pan, melt butter and sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms till brown. Stir in the white wine, add stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool then puree the mixture in a blender. Season with salt and pepper and return the soup to the stove. Simmer for a few minutes Serve hot garnished with whipped cream and dusted with pepper.

Pomegranate salad Shots Layer jewel like pomegranate with onion and cucumber for a melange of flavours and textures. The idea is to squeeze lime into the prepared salas just before you “shoot it” all at once. Fruity sweet tart Pomegranate, pungent onion and soothing cucmber come together with the lime juice and the salt on the rim to deliver a bite full of zing! (You could even add Vodka to liven things up!) Serve prior to any meal! Serves: 4 Time:15 mins.

½ cup Pomegranate seeds
½ cup finely chopped Cucumber
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup salt
1 tsp pepper
2 lemons cut in half and deseeded + juice of 1 lemon
4 Shot glasses to serve

Method To salt rim glasses, pour lemon juice in a saucer. Mix salt and pepper and spread out in another saucer. Take each shot glass, dip rim in lemon juice and then lightly in the salt pepper mixture. To assemble - Using a small spoon, put one spoon full of Pomegranate into the bottom of each glass.Repeat with a spoonful of cucumber and then onion taking care not to spoil the salted rim. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with a lemon half on the side.

Tomato and Chilli Sorbet A hot sour salty sweet combination of everyday ingredients that combine into a stunning prelude to a meal, serve prior to any meal – especially Indian.
1/2 c fresh tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 c tomato juice
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp onion, chopped finely chopped
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of Red chilli powder
serve in a 1 or 2 ounce container per person
Plastic wrap to freeze
Ice dishes to serve.
Method Place tomatoes, water, sugar and onion in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Add lemon juice, salt and red chilli powder, stir well place in a blender and process until smooth. Place in a bowl, press the mixture down with a spoon, cover and freeze To make ice pedestal place arrange 2-3 Cherry tomatoes and a couple of red chillies 4 steel dishes with high rims, fill container with water and freeze solid. To assemble remove pedestals from container, place on a plate and place frozen sorbet on top.

Trio of Tender Coconut Tender coconut ribbons dipped in sugar awaken the palate with aromatic sweetness, tender coconut water spiked with crushed green chilli delivers punch and a savoury sorbet of coconut milk add salt to the fire! Serve before any meal that incorporates coconut milk. Serves: 4 Time:15 mins For the tender coconut on a stick, Crumble 1 tsp dried curry leaves and mix with 1 tbsp sugar. Using a sharp knife slice flesh from 1 tender coconut into ¼ inch thick ribbons and skewer onto tooth picks. Dredge in sugar mix and set aside. For the spiked Coconut water shot, Ccmbine water from one tender coconut with 1 really spicy crushed green chilli and ¼ tsp salt. Mix well, strain into shot glasses and refrigerate. For the Savoury Coconut sorbet, combine 1 cup coconut milk with ¼ cup peanuts, 2 tbsp coriander, ½ tsp salt an process in a blender. Pour the mixture into a bowl or freezer for 1 hour. Take the sorbet out of the freezer, beat or blend until smooth, then return to freezer. Before serving, allow sorbet to stand at room temperature so it softens slightly. To Assemble, place shot glass on a small plate. Place skewered tender coconut on top. Using a melon baller make tiny scoops of sorbet and arrange one or two near the glass. Serve with a sugar spoon.

Micro green Salad with Garlic chips a simple Amuse - bouche that is designed to bring out the fresh flavour of quality EVOO tender shoots and succulent baby tomatoes.
Serves: 4 Time: 5 mins
100 g Micro greens (Alfaalfa sprouts)
100 g baby tomatoes
12 Garlic cloves sliced fine lengthwise
Extra Virgin olive oil
Heat a non stick pan and brush with Olive oil. Lay sliced garlic out on pan and brown. Turn over and brown the other side. Your garlic sliced should be crispy at this point.
Method Divide the Micro greens and baby tomatoes into four, arrange on a plate or in a small bowl. Scatter with Garlic slices and serve. Pass around sea salt, pepper and Extra virgin Olive oil so your guests can dress their individual servings to taste.

"Micro-greens" are plants that have been harvested after their first true leaves appear to replace the cotyledon leaves and are the latest trend in fine dining. They are usually picked stalk or stem intact which makes them look amazingly like sprouts, the miniature leaves look exactly like the mature leaves they will grow into and can be amazingly intense in flavour. They are phenomenally expensive. Although this trend has not made it to India yet, a lot of supermarkets carry delicate Alfaalfa sprouts which are a great substitute as are the tender shoots of methi of Fenugreek available at the outset of the Indian winter.

Orange and green pepper Jelly in Candied Orange peel bowls. This is the perfect season to do this Amuse Bouche. Green pepper is available at the local vegetable vendors and oranges are at their best. While this one is a tad more complicated that the other recipes, it really will excite your guests with the combination of herby hot green pepper tart orange juice and bitter sweet candied orange peel. You can make things easier by chopping the candied peel and adding it along with the crushed green pepper to commercial orange jelly although it will not be the same. Set in a pan and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter.
For the Candied Orange peel,
4 Oranges
2 cups of Sugar
Method Slice Oranges down the middle and gently scoop out segments. Squeeze out juice and discard. Reserve Juice. Place Orange peels in a water to cover and poach for 5 mins. Remove, cool and using a knife gently scrape out pith from inside. In a bowl, combine juice and 2 cups of sugar and bring to boil. Lower flame and boil until the syrup thickens. Drop in cleaned orange peels and cook until they turn transparent.
For the Orange and green pepper Jelly
4 ½ tsp unflavoured gelatine
¼ c cold water
1 c boiling water
2 c orange juice
2 tsp crushed fresh green peppers
½ cup lemon juice
½ tsp salt
Method In a medium bowl, soak gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Add boiling water, stirring until gelatine dissolves. Add all of the orange juice, crushed green peppercorns, lemon juice and salt and stir until well blended. Set aside to cool. Pour cooled mixture into candied orange skins and leave in refrigerator till set. Serve whole or sliced into thin wedges. Garnish with a sprig of green peppercorns.

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Photos by Bharat, Aarti, Mrigank. Food preparation and styling by Rushina munshaw Ghildiyal
This article first appeared in ME magazine on 31 dec 2006