Last Saturday, one of the chefs took me aside and asked me to work at the amuse bouche station. Since I was feeling rather useless at entremets, I jumped at the chance. A week later, I’m still at amuse bouche, and my skills are rapidly increasing.

Although an amuse bouche is quite simple, compared to the complex plates served later, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility. I am preparing and plating the first bite of food the customer will taste. It is an introduction, a first impression, a preface for what will come. It builds anticipation, excitement, and prepares the taste buds for a grand adventure. Everything must be perfect – not a morsel out of place or a speck on the perfectly white plate.

My day begins with preparing all the mis en place for the lunch service amuse bouche. I start by cutting off the ends of small potatoes about 1.5 – 2 inches in length. Then I take a very small melon baller and hollow out the center of each potato. Once cooked in boiling water, herbs and salt, they are cooled and filled with a mixture of crab, chopped parsley and chives, and finely diced salifie.

Once the potatoes are done, I start on the vegetables for the consommée. Beats, carrots, celery, celery root, and cauliflower are cut into tiny, perfectly symmetrical squares called brunoise. Each vegetable is blanched separately in boiling salted water until soft. Then they are mixed together and a small amount of vegetable consommée is added.

When a client arrives and places their order, the chef calls out an order for the amuse bouche. As quickly as I possibly can, I grab a small try and place two heated plates on top. The plates look like two intersecting circles. On the slightly larger circle, I place a warm potato stuffed with crab. I then grab a cup that looks like two shot glasses side by side – except one of the glasses is upside down. I place the glass with the upside down side over the potato and fill the right side up part with a little vegetable brunoise and crab. A tiny bit of finely ground five spice is put on top of the upside down cup. In a small pitcher, I pour some consommée. All that completed, the tray is whisked away by a server and presented. The server pours the consommée over the vegetables and crab with a flourish.

After I return from my mid-day break, I start on the mis en place for the dinner service. I prepare the potatoes as usual – about 80 to 90 of them, depending on how many people will be eating that night. While the potatoes are cooking, I finely chop sautéed mushrooms and shallots. These will be cooked together to make a simple duxelle. Once cool, the duxelle is piped into the tiny hole in each potato and put into a warming oven.

I then begin work on the mushrooms. I take very small (about ½ to ¾ inch across) and cut the stems into a point. After a good washing, I poach them in chicken stock and butter until tender. Once drained, I mix them with salt and pepper and set them aside.

Dinner service begins at 7:00 PM, sometimes 8:00 PM and clients are usually seated until 10:30 PM. When the amuse bouche order is called out, I reply, “Oui Monsieur!” (yes sir), and begin preparation. Using the same plates as lunch service, I place a warm potato stuffed with mushroom duxelle. On the grill, I carefully brown a mushroom in clarified butter that will sit on top of the potato. The mushroom receives a tiny drop of chive oil. The potato is covered by the two cup glass, made of white china like the plate, and the right side up cup is filled with a mushroom cream soup. Into this, I spiral a tiny amount of reduced balsamic vinegar and add a tiny pinch of ground porchini mushrooms to the upside down glass. I call for service, and the plates are whisked away.

It’s a surprising amount of work for one little tiny mouthful. But it’s my job, and the more I do it, the faster I become. Although most people in the kitchen think the amuse bouche station is too easy, for me it’s just right!

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