Suggestions for an amuse bouche served in an Asian Porcelain Soup Spoon?

[sarahbeth]

I am hosting a dinner party for 6 people including 1 chef. I am pretty experienced in the kitchen and the chef guest loves my cooking. I think they would be ticked pink by finding an amuse bouche between the salad course and main course. Any suggestions?

[anita_cocktail]

salty, spicy, creamy thick roasted squash soup with a piece of caramel popcorn. sprinkle with a bit of chipotle chile powder or chile oil for looks and a dirty dry heat.

[foggygurl]

A quail egg poached in lemongrass scented consomme with a tiny sprig of coriander and some flying fish roe. The broth flavors the egg llgihtly and a few drops of it in the spoon make it easy to eat in one luscious bite.

[allegro805]

Any further feedback about what the full menu is for the dinner the original poster was asking about? Would definitely make it easier to give more specific/appropriate suggestions.

[chef chicklet]

Although the asian soup spoon is very classy, I find it is hard to manage all those spoons when offering appetizers. And it seems that it is just overdone. The other thing, is that unless you have someone with a tray to collect the spoon when your guest is through with it they end up in the darndest places!

I have these wonderful little glasses that are from the 40s that were meant probably for a sherry or appertiff. I use them for little bites. Such as a crab-tini or shimp-tini, or a ceviche.

One of my specialties is appetizers, and my little delight is to offer a "shooter" in a small delicate glass, or demitasse cups with a nice creamy bisque or soup - such as cream of asparagus with smoked oyster, or baby clam chowder and puff pastry cheese straws.

Small bundles of "living lettuce" tied with scallion with a nice Thai mix of pork, shrimp, cilantro, and lime in one tiny little bundle with a nice chili/cilantro paste drop.

And one of my favorites, cocktail tamales. Minature tamales that you eat and just clean the oha with one swoop of your teeth!

I love appetizers or the amuse bouche. But the spoons are awkward. Then again, maybe I just have klutzy friends!!!

[MobyRichard]

Polenta with mushrooms and pancetta.

[hotandsour]

ps. oh, sorry-- you want to cut the ahi in about a half-inch dice and mix everything together about 15 minutes before serving.

[hotandsour]

You might want to consider some kind of poke [po keh]-- it's really an ideal amuse-bouche (easy and fast to make, complex, tasty, but not too rich or heavy) and looks great on a spoon besides. My favorite is ahi poke with sweet onion-- this is approximately the recipe we usually use:
2 lbs fresh ahi tuna
1 smallish sweet onion, cut in quarters and finely sliced
3 green onions, sliced fine
2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 cloves finely diced garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 TB sesame oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or Korean dried slivered chile threads

[NovoCuisine]

For a dinner party a short while ago I did some made-from-scratch deep friend pork/veggie wontons. Took the soup spoons, put a small dollop of sweet chili sauce on them, then placed the wonton on top.

Time consuming beforehand, but easy to reheat and plate during the party (esp. if you're serving this between courses).

[jenniebnyc]

Another idea that sounds unappetizing but tastes good is a dallop of sour cream topped with a spoon of seaweed, a raw oyster, a dash of soy sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

I actually had this as an oyster shooter in Palm Brach at a place called Spotto's.

[MobyRichard]

What kind of seaweed? Was it wet or dry?

[jenniebnyc]

WET - the bright green kind that it sort of sweet with spicy pepper flakes

[cherie]

Tuna tartare.

And you can serve a little sake with it too if you want.

[PamelaD]

You could use your spoons to serve a small scoop of sorbet as a palete cleanser. If you are dong asian, how about green tea sorbet, or ginger?

P

[cristina]

A friend served a pair of hard-boiled quail eggs in a Chinese spoon, accompanied by several kinds of sea salt to taste.

[ctl98]

If you have oysters available, a freshly shucked one topped with some wasabi vinaigrette and some caviar or flying fish roe and nori shreds is very good and looks impressive too. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top and a drop or two of sesame oil.

[alicat]

Rock shrimp ceviche (baby shrimp marinated in lime juice, cilantro and a little olive oil) would be delicious in a spoon. I love those, they're oh so classy looking. And fun - they lighten up a meal nicely. I also think soup shooters are a fun addition to a multi-course meal.

[hotoynoodle]

not to be snarky, but an amuse bouche is served before anything else, not as a segue.

we can assume (i guess) you've got an asian theme, but it would be helpful to know the menu before making suggestions.

[MaspethMaven]

agreed. serve the amuse first, then the salad, et cetera. Sometimes its nice if the main and the amuse shared some of the same flavor profile, too.

[novafoodie]

When I was in Tahiti, I was served some wonderful raw fish marinated in coconut milk in an Asian porcelain soup spoon. I asked where the spoon came from, and I was told "A Chinese store." Anyway, it was fantastic. You can find recipes on the web.

Here is one:

http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/reci...

[intuitive eggplant]

Have no idea whether this would work between whatever you’re serving for salad and entrée, but for a Thanksgiving appetizer I served smoked oysters, one per Asian spoon, with a green apple vinaigrette approximately as below. I was pleased with the flavor combination, as were my guests, although the smoked oysters were a little large; I would try smoked clams next time.

1/4 Granny Smith apple, cut into small dice
1 t. cider vinegar
1 t. white wine vinegar
dash Balsamic vinegar
1/2 shallot, minced
2 T. olive oil
Squeeze of lemon juice & some lemon zest
A little tarragon or rosemary

[allegro805]

I started to think of suggestions, but then I thought I'd ask a clarifying question: Is your meal mostly going to be an asian/fusion menu, hence the reason for the porcelain spoon? I don't think that's absolutely necessary, but if your menu isn't asian/fusion, then why the asian spoon?

[MobyRichard]

I don't know if this is sarahbeth's reason, but Asian porcelain spoons, in addition to being the right size for a tasty mouthful, have flat bottoms that allow them to sit and not move when they are placed for presentation.

[jenniebnyc]

over the summer i had a chilled sweet pea soup topped with lump crab and a dill creme fraiche in a spoon.

it was yummy.

[macrogal]

a dollop of chawan-mushi?

[Melanie Wong]

Yes, I've had a chawan-mushi with meat from a whole lobster claw steamed in a porcelain soup spoon. Made a dramatic presentation when the lid to the bamboo steamer was removed at tableside.

[onefineleo]

How about won ton mushroom purses in a cream sauce:

http://www.finedinings.com/amuseBouch...