Verrines
are a wonderful way to serve a small and exquisite opener for your meal –
something larger than an amuse-bouche,
yet smaller than a first course. Most of all, to me, they are about beauty. … Simply
translated from French, verrine
means “glass casing.” The glass allows its contents to shine. A well crafted verrine
is the Fabergé egg of the meal.

I served my first verrines sometime around the year 2000.
My employer at the time – the director of The Children’s Museum of New
Hampshire – and her husband asked me if I would create a dinner for them and
their important guests from Japan (the Japanese consul to Boston and his wife).
I created a meal that was American in its ingredients yet Japanese in its presentation
– small portions, delicately prepared and (I hope) beautiful both to their eyes
and their palates.  The first
course at the table was a set of three tiny verrines
per person.  They were
tomato-thyme, yellow bell pepper-bay laurel and sweet pea-tarragon soups – red,
yellow and green. 

They were a hit with the
Japanese Consul, and it was the Japanese-style serving that made me think,
“This is a great way to start a meal!” Since then, I have used verrines for openers, accompaniments,
palate cleansers and desserts. As a chef, your only limit is your imagination! 

One can buy official
glassware called verrines, but my
guess is that you already have any number of appropriate vessels in your cupboard. I raided our cabinets and found all you see in
this post, and I didn’t got them all. For the
most part, a verrine should be clear
glass, not etched, but I think that certain recipes might work well with
something etched or faceted. Also, they should be small – slightly larger than a shot glass.

Susan and Towny gave me
a verrines cookbook for my birthday,
and it’s full of creative ideas for flavor combinations and
stunningly beautiful presentations. But, in reading – and observing – it is more
than flavors and visual harmony that are combined. Texture plays a leading
role, too. From the very simple things such as a deconstructed guacamole or
tuna tartare with tomatoes and capers to those requiring a little more preparation
such as a bavarois of Roquefort,
grapes and walnuts, or a mousse of cèpes
(porcini mushrooms) with slices of seared foie gras, one can feel the different
components as much as seeing and tasting them. The book also has quite a few
nice dessert combinations.

Tonight, for our
Christmas Eve dinner, we are gathering our good friends for a celebration. Two are bringing hors d’oeuvres,
the soup and main course (langoustine tails with fennel, tomato and
saffron in puff pastry boxes) are my offering, Another guest is bringing a
salad and one is bringing desserts – she has dropped tantalizing hints of mince tartlets or plum
pudding!  

I have made two contrasting
soups for for the first course – bright
green sweet pea soup and deep red-magenta beet vichyssoise based on
recipes
from the Silver Palate. I usually serve them in one shallow bowl with
both
soups meeting in the middle. There are several
ways to
present them as verrines, though. One
way is to serve two shot glasses per person side by side, as I did for my
Japanesque meal. Another way is to layer them.  First, freeze the bottom layer for 30 minutes then carefully add the second layer; keep them chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Then, as shown, garnish with a few chopped
chives and tiny swirl of crème fraîche. 

I also created a new verrine for Mark’s birthday – a mousse
of creamy Cambozola cheese topped with tiny cubes of spiced rosé gelée,
and garnished with crystallized rosemary leaves. The combination of the crunchy
sweet rosemary leaves, the color and slight resistance of the spiced rosé gelée
and the complete acquiescence of the mousse made for a lovely beginning to a special fireside evening!

So, look at some of
your favorite first-course recipes, side dishes and desserts and see what you
can figure out for a verrine
presentation. Then, check out your china cabinet for some special glassware.
(Or, is this the perfect excuse for a “to me, from me, love me” gift
– a shopportunity?) No matter what you do, I am sure your guests will enjoy
this unique, creative and attractive way to begin a meal at your table.

~ David 

Bring rosé, sugar and
star anise to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar
is dissolved. Lower heat and simmer about 8 minutes, and wine mixture is
reduced to 1 cup. Remove from heat and discard star anise.

Sprinkle gelatin over
the water in a small bowl and let sit for 1 minute to soften.  Stir into the hot rosé mixture until
gelatin dissolves completely.  Pour
into the baking pan and chill at least 8 hours. (May be made one day in advance.)

Place the egg whites in
a medium mixing bowl.  Place a
small sheet of waxed paper or parchment on the counter.

Dip rosemary sprigs in
the whites and shake to remove excess egg white.  Then, sprinkle each with sugar until well coated.  Place on waxed paper and set aside to
dry.  Discard sugar that did not
adhere. (May be made one day in advance.)

Using a hand-held
mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl,
using the same beaters (no need to wash), beat the cheese until smooth (the
veins of blue cheese will still be somewhat lumpy), then slowly beat in the
light cream until smooth and creamy. 
Take a third of the beaten whites and stir in to loosen the cheese
mixture.  Then gently fold in
remaining whites until fully incorporated.

Divide mixture among 4 verrines.  Remove gelée from the refrigerator and unmold using a thin
spatula to release the sides and using the parchment to lift out onto a cutting
board.  Using a lightly oiled sharp
knife, cut gelée into 1/4-inch cubes and divide among the four glasses.  Cover verrines in plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.  20 minutes before serving, bring them
to room temperature.  Top each with
a spring of crystallized rosemary and serve, preferably with a Sauternes.