Amouse Bouche - Verrine Méditerranée

I had the chance to try out an amouse bouche (appetizer) idea on a group of very nice people last weekend at a summer get-together. I presented this appetizer in a small glass, called "une verrine" in France....Serving appetizers in this way has been wildly popular here over the past three years, or so. It's been a trend, for sure, and one I still like.

This verrine is a layering of (1) tomate confite (slow roasted tomatoes that become naturally sweet as they roast) & tangy sun dried tomatoes, (2) whipped goat cheese with a hint of lemon & (3) caviar d'aubergine (roasted eggplant purée). These flavors are hugely popular in this part of the world, very Mediterranean, and are natural pairings with each other. Honestly, I never grow tired of them, individually or together.

This is a light- & fresh-tasting appetizer, the way an appetizer should be. It's intended to whet the appetite, not kill it. It should leave you wishing you could have just one more spoonful or two....but you can't, it's gone. So all you can do at that point is simply look forward to what's next! If this is the feeling you leave your guest with, then you have successfully served an amuse bouche the french way. (By the way, amuse bouche literally means to amuse the mouth...tickle it pink!)

It's especially good when you grab all three layers in one spoonful...

I'll be keeping this one in my recipe box -- a "go to" for summer. And spring. And early fall. And probably even in winter....when I want to be transported back to the feeling of sunshine, blue skies, and warm days. Voilà. Verrine Méditerranée was born!

The optional shrimp dipped in pesto sauce is always good

/dma