The Nibble: Make Verrines!

Here's a cool article from our friends at The Nibble!  Read all about the verrine, a fresh new way to combine your favorite ingredients. Appealing to both the eye and the tastebuds, verrines make an excellent addition to a dinner party menu. For pint-sized palettes be sure to check out our Pattern Parfaits, an American twist on a French favorite!  Oh la la! 

TIP OF THE DAY: For Fun & Excitement, Make Verrines!

Looking for some appetizer or dessert excitement? Make verrines (vair-REEN, in French).  Verre is the French word for glass; verrine, which means “protective glass,” is an assortment of ingredients layered “artfully” in a small glass.  Verrines can be sweet or savory: The idea is to layer foods that provide delicious tastes in small bites.  In addition to serving up a variety of tastes and textures, verrines should have splashes of color for eye appeal (grape tomatoes, raspberries, herbs).  The idea has been around for a long time, but in recent years has come back to prominence in France.While specialty verrine glasses exist, you most likely have vessels at home that will do the job just fine: juice glasses, rocks glasses, shot glasses, even small wine goblets.

And you don’t have to start big—you can hold off on the foie gras mousse, cubed Sauternes gelée (Sauternes [a sweet wine] in plain gelatin) and stewed rhubarb, topped with crème fraîche, candied apricots and chopped pistachios (we made this one last week).  Instead, start by making the foods you serve every day more exciting by serving a verrine as a side. For example:

Breakfast: Layer scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon, salsa, sour cream or Greek yogurt, and garnish with chives.

Appetizer: Layer sautéed mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, mashed potatoes or cauliflower, topped with a dab of sour cream and chopped parsley; or our favorite, tuna tartare, chopped tomatoes and guacamole, topped with a chopped mix of hard-cooked egg whites and cilantro.

Dessert: Layer fresh or poached fruit, rice pudding or custard and crumbled gingersnaps, topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

How many layers should you prepare? Three to six.

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