Les Amuses

Language is a funny thing. In particular names of things have a habit of changing over time because, usually in an attempt to make things interesting again, someone decided to redefine the wheel.

Time was when these tiny snacks that come with the drink before the meal were called hors d'oeuvres or appetisers but those names now often refer to the starting course of a meal set. Don't even talk to me about entrées, that word is abused worldwide to such an extent it is almost meaningless.

Scratching around for something fancy to call what the honest Brit on the bus would call nibbles, menu writers have seized on another French phrase and made it their own. Enter Les Amuses. You can have amuses gueules or bouches, but to keep it simple for an international audience the qualifiers are usually omitted.



I have a particular fascination with tiny food. Miniature portions of things, tiny replicas, salty savoury morsels to be devoured in a bite all call my name. A book bequeathed to me by a beloved aunt is William Heptinstall's Hors D'Oeuvres and Cold Table which despite being very dependent on flesh as an ingredient is a wonderful, sharp read full of good advice and clever wheezes.

Today I've been playing around a bit in the shallows of the craft. To be honest these very simple bites are not shining examples of their type but, did I say? my kitchen is very very cold at the moment. Still they do fulfil the basic criteria and with a little bit of tweaking or some wholesale alterations will provoke an appetite nicely.