What is amuse-bouche, anyway? To be honest, most of us have had a few, but may not have known it! An amuse-bouche, French for “mouth amuser,” is a single, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre. The best restaurants serve them to guests at no charge and are selected by the Chef. Their intention is to entice the guest with the chef’s style while impressing them at the same time.
Photo Credit: Ecole Ducasse
In Spain, I’ve had a plate of olives or a dish of tapenade as an amuse-bouche. In Italy, a bowl of potato chips with apero may be on the table and in France, gougeres, airy, cheesy pastry puffs, are popular choices. Other examples of amuse-bouche? Smoked salmon blinis, ceviche served on soup spoons, gazpacho shooters (I actually have shooter glasses for this!), tomato bruschetta, deviled eggs, or even intriguing cheeses. Honestly, the list is endless if your end goal is to serve single portion, savory bites in order to whet the appetite for the dishes to come.
A few days ago, I had friends to dinner and opted to serve an amuse-bouche of savory muffins with cherry tomatoes and Ossau-Iraty, a rich sheep’s milk cheese from France. From “the southwest of France, near the Spanish border, between the Basque Country and Bearn, Ossau-Iraty is a pressed cheese, farmstead- or dairy-produced. Made from raw milk from local ewes and matured for at least 2.5 months, it comes in the form of small or large tommes, which are supple with hints of hazelnut flourishes in salads, with cold cuts, in a soup…” Trust me when I say that I’m now a huge fan of this cheese!
This was such an easy recipe that I’ll make this over and over again. Please find the steps from Taste France Magazine HERE. (I suggest adding a teaspoon of salt (or to taste) since it’s not in the recipe!) The cheese and tomatoes nestled in a creamy muffin were simply mouthwatering and sipped with a chilled glass of Domaine Barmes-Buecher Cremant d’Alsace Brut Nature 2020 ($36), the perfect late summer evening kicked off with a French vibe!
From the heart of Alsace is Domaine Barmes-Buecher, an 18-hectare certified biodynamic vineyard at the foot of the sub-Vosges hills. This bone dry Cremant was a mouthwatering companion to each bite of the muffins. What I found on the refreshing and invigorating nose and palate were elements of citrus, salinity, and white florals, plenty of racy acidity, dancing bubbles and a lingering, lip-smacking finish.
Photo Credit: Domaine Barmes-Buecher
Cheers! ~ Cindy
