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AMUSE BOUCHE                 by Chef Chip Desormeaux

/ah-mooz boosh/ def: A small complimentary appetizer offered at fine restaurants. From French, literally, "it entertains the mouth."

Food & Entertaining Tips from The Portable Chef

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Happy Father's Day to the greatest Pops everywhere! It's become one of my favorite times of the year as my oldest and youngest were both born in Father's Day "week." For some reason this just reminds me of a funny incident from a few years ago. It was around Halloween when my oldest son and I were sitting on a bench at the soccer field watching another of my boys at practice.

It had been another rush to get dinner done and the gang out the door on time. Since I already had the grill going, I resorted to Bubba Burgers and Nathan's Hot Dogs.

So now here we were at the soccer field, minding our own business when a mother sits down between us with a bag of candy. Tyler politely turned down her offer of candy with, "No ma'am. I had a big dinner. Thank you, though."

"Good for you!" replied the sugar-peddling mom.

Then, completely out of the blue, he responds proudly, "My dad's a chef!"

I hid my wince as I knew immediately the hole he'd dug for himself... "Oh, reeeeeally?! So what did y'all have for dinner, then, hun?" "Um, hamburgers and hot dogs?"

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What is Taste?

Of all the senses available to us, I think the sense of taste is most interesting. But what exactly is "taste", anyway?

The word "taste" refers to what we are allowed to experience through the taste buds on our tongue.

Taste buds allow us to register the "salt" on the surface of a crispy potato chip, the "sweet" of blueberry jelly smeared on the inside of a homemade buttermilk biscuit, the "sour" lime of a gin-and-tonic, or the "savory" satisfaction of a perfectly grilled tenderloin steak, or the "bitter" of an Advil tablet that sat on our tongue too long.

So that's taste. But what about the mental picture or sensation that was conjured up as you read the examples of each of the five taste examples I gave?

We use the word "flavor" to refer to the total experience of eating the foods we enjoy.

A juicy orange tastes sweet. But what about the textures you experience as you bite into an orange and every little pocket of juice bursts in your mouth? And the cold sensation it leaves on your tongue? And the citrus odor that fills the entire room as soon as you make that first tear into the peel?

There is actually more to flavor than just "taste." Actually, more than 70% of the flavor experience comes from our sense of smell.

When we bite into food, a whole explosion of flavor roils within our mouth. And a big part of that occurs when the odor molecules travel to the back of the mouth and up through the back of the nose.

In the beginning of this article you may have noticed that I listed five different tastes. Perhaps you remember from your school days there were only four?

Actually, thanks to our friends on the other side of the planet, we now recognize a fifth taste sensation.

The Japanese call it "umami", /oo-mommy/. The word doesn't translate into any one word in English. But it's that of savory or meaty; the pleasure you experience when you bite into a piece of meat. You might also experience the same sensation when you taste a mushroom. I think of it when I enjoy a very ripe avocado or a flavorful tomato. It's a sort of "fullness of flavor."

Sometimes when we crave a specific food, we're looking for one particular taste sensation. You know, the sweet of a cheap chocolate bar or a bag of barbecue chips.

But when we go to a fine restaurant, we want to enjoy a meal that combines mere taste with interesting textures and enticing aromas.

I think "taste" appeals to the analytical side of us that hopefully ensures we put into our bodies the foods that contain the proper nutrients we need. But it's our emotional craving for "flavor" that makes eating so pleasurable!

Bon Appetit!

Chef Chip Desormeaux

But, Wait! There's More!
(Recipes, Nifty Gadgets, & Stuff Like That)

Recipes.
One of my readers got upset with me over the last issue because I listed all those yummie dishes in the introduction but didn't give any of the recipes.

She was particularly interested in the fish tacos.

I love fish tacos. I usually use tilapia but they're even better with grouper. Really most milder white fishes will do, especially if they flake apart when cooked. Whatever is the freshest available is what you want to use.

So, my apologies, Gail. Here's the recipe!

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