October 17, 2011
Amuse-Bouche
http://www.hertzmann.com/articles/miscellany/recipes/img/01063-xl.jpg|800|600
crème de pois chiches et pétoncle
(chickpea puree and a scallop)
On almost every trip I have made to France since 1997, I’ve purchased cookbooks and or cooking magazines. My trip in the summer of 2010 was no different. On this trip I bought a whole pile of little, inexpensive books, each with a few dozen recipes. What made this shopping trip unique was that all the books were on the same subject: apéros. And although all my dictionaries translate apéros as aperitifs, the alcoholic beverages served before a meal, it is obvious from the recipes that these dishes are for serving along side aperitifs. When I returned to my hotel room and laid all my purchases out on my bed, what I saw was possibilities, the germ of many ideas for amuse-bouches.
As I glanced through the recipes I saw many that could be downsized and simplified to fit my style, which is light on ingredients and heavy on technique. Many recipes called for prepared sauces or flavorings. My style is to make all of these from scratch. But that was okay, all I wanted was ideas.
When I create amuse-bouches, it is mostly by free association and usually early in the morning, lying in bed. Starting with an ingredient or two, I start to think and see where my thoughts take me. I'll think about ingredients, preparation methods, and serving appearance. Ideas that seem to be worthwhile, are noted minimally in my iPhone for future reference. Lengthy notes would require me to wake all the way up and put on my glasses. The notation is minimal to the point where I may forget everything I thought about except for the major ingredients and have to start over again. But it's all part of the process.
But as you may have already guessed, this week’s amuse-bouche didn’t follow that path. I saw a picture in one of the books with a title that translated to “chickpea puree with scallops,” and I knew what I had to make. That was all that was needed. Reading the published recipe would have messed with my head and probably confused me.
The dish is a three-parter: Part one, make some chickpea puree; Part two, panfry a scallop; Part three, assemble.
Many years ago I posted a recipe for crème de poise chiches au romarin, a rosemary-scented hummus that would be fine in this amuse-bouche. This puree is a bit stiff for this new preparation, but by thinning it with some of the liquid from cooking the chickpeas, or from the can, a smooth, creamy texture can be obtained. One recipe will make about 16 amuse-bouche-sized portions, and can be made many days before it is needed.
That leaves the scallops, where the toughest issue may be to find a scallops that are both the right size and have not been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, sometimes referred to as “wet scallops.” I salt and pepper the scallops just before frying in a little very, very hot oil. Any neutral, high-temperature oil will work. Don’t be tempted to use a dry pan, the oil is necessary for heat transfer. The scallops should be fried until brown on just the top surface or on many of the surfaces. Just be sure to be quick about it and not to cook it too long. Scallops are very tasty raw, and shoe leather if overcooked.
For plating, the puree is arranged in a small bowl and the scallop “inserted” into it. A light sprinkling of smoked paprika and chives completes the presentation.

© 2011 Peter Hertzmann. All rights reserved.