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What is the guiding principle of home entertaining in France today?  Three words: “less is more”.   It’s a style best typified by the popularity of the verrine “ver een”, a small, delectable portion served in a small clear glass container.  A verrine can be as simple as a soup passed before dinner or a formal layered dessert presented as a finale.  Parisians  have been using them to shorten prep time for a decade.  Why hasn’t this trend spread to our side of the Atlantic?

 

 
That’s a rhetorical question, of course.  In the land of super-sized fast food, the diminutive verrine looks to many like a store sample rather than a serving.   And if you bolt down a verrine as if it were a Big Mac, you will have no idea what you’ve just eaten.  Verrines are intended to be indulgent surprises that please the eye and offer unexpected textures and flavors.  But they aren’t at all precious. The resourceful cook can make an verrine from left-overs.

 

 

Once I started looking for verrine cookbooks, the number of beautifully photographed volumes quickly overwhelmed me. Both the mega-media-mall FNAC and La Librairie Gourmande in Paris stock at least two dozen titles.  To my knowledge, not a single book on this subject has been published in English.

 

We may not have gotten the verrine memo but picking up on this trend is easy enough.  All of us have juice and bar glasses that will make attractive containers to hold verrines.  If not, look for clear plastic cups and martini glasses at party supply stores.

 

Here are some of my first verrines made with familiar seasonal ingredients in  combinations that don’t push the envelope: fresh strawberries and basil; eggplant and goat cheese; avocado puree and smoked salmon.  (The amount of ingredients will vary depending on the size and shape of your verrines.) I’ve will have more to share as the summer season approaches.

 

 

STRAWBERRY BASIL VERRINE

 

Ingredients for 4 servings:

Syrup:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

Zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 pound fresh strawberries

1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

 

Directions:

Syrup:

Combine water, sugar, zest and lemon juice in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and reduce to 1/4 cup.  Cool.

Rinse, pat dry, hull and dice the berries.

Toss berries with syrup.

Serving:

• Spoon a thin layer of balsamic vinegar on the bottom of each verrine.
• Toss the strawberries with the reserved syrup and 1/4 of the basil.  among the containers.
• Cover the berries with remaining basil.

 

EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE VERRINE

 

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1 recipe Eggplant Caviar

http://www.chezm.com/welcome-to-recipes/54-hors-doeuvres/388-eggplant-caviar

4 ounces fresh goat cheese

2 - 3 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup whipped cream

Thinly sliced hothouse cucumbers

Piment de l’Espelette

 

 

 

 

Directions:

• Divide the caviar among the verrines.
• Thin the goat cheese with milk and fold in whipped cream.  Season to taste with salt.  Spoon on top of the caviar.
• Garnish with thinly sliced cucumbers and hot chili

 

CUCUMBER SALMON VERRINE

 

Ingredients for 4 servings:

Diced hot house cucumbers

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon

4 ounces smoked salmon

Chives, minced and whole stems

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Fromage blanc or plain yogurt

Light cream or milk

1/3 cup thinly sliced radishes

 

Directions:

• Toss the cucumber pieces with tarragon.  Season with salt and sugar to taste.  Divide among the verrines.
• Cut the salmon into thick, 2” long strips, fold them loosely over the cucumbers, sprinkle on minced chives and a squeeze of lemon juice.
• Thin the cheese or yogurt with milk or cream until easily spreadable.  Fold in 1 teaspoon minced chives.  Spoon over the salmon pieces.
• Sprinkle on the radish slices and decorate with chive stems.

 

****** VARIATIONS ******

 

SALMON KIWIFRUIT VERRINE

 

• Substitute 2 peeled and diced kiwifruit for the cucumber. Proceed with recipe above.

 

SALMON AVOCADO VERRINE

 

• Substiute 1 avocado, peeled, crushed and flavored with 2 tablespoons lime juice, a little lime zest, cumin and salt to taste.
• Squeeze lime juice on salmon slices.
• Substitute thinly sliced hothouse cucumbers.  Dust with Piment de L’Espelette*or Cayenne pepper