Amuse-bouch, little bites of delight before the meal begins

Tramonto, Rick

Goodbody, Mary

ISBN: 0375507604

Publisher: Random House

To quote the introduction of this book, "The amuse appeals to my philosophy that no one should take food too seriously, even while they are serious about food." It is a good sentence, for food should be fun to cook and fun to eat! The book is filled is great ideas for little dishes that are fun to prepare and serve.

The book is divided into ten sections: soup amuse, vegetable amuse, pasta and grain amuse, fish and seafood amuse, meat and poultry amuse, forks and spoon amuse, juice amuse, foam amuse, savory sorbet amuse and basic recipes. Each section contains some beautifully photographed dishes, so there is so many recipes that you will want to try. I really love the Chilled Sweet Pea Soup with Lobster and the Watermelon Cube with Aged Balsamic Vinegar recipes; they are great! The one I like the best, though, is the Ahi Tuna Cube with Toasted Black and White Sesame Seeds recipe, which is fantastic.

Overall, this is an excellent book for those doing "an at home." The ideas and suggestions will make any foodie get-together a real treat for you and your friends.