A shot of haute cuisine

It's said that good things come in small packages. That's true when it comes to petite black-velvet boxes, as well as itty-bitty glasses.

Small, unstemmed items of glassware, generally 1-1/2- to 2-ounce beauties, hold oh-so-small portions of sweet or savory concoctions. They turn soups, salads and even hot cocoa into passable appetizers.

The verrine craze in France has been going strong for years. Verrine translates from French as "glass." But it is also the word used to describe the mania for serving everything from pureed soup to crab salad to layered custards in shot-size glasses.

Alan Greeley

The first time I saw tray-passed appetizers à la glass was years ago at a shindig catered by The Golden Truffle. Greeley, chef-owner of the restaurant in Costa Mesa, dubs them "soup and sandwich gizmos."

His creations served in tiny glasses often have two layers, something creamy or liquidy-loose at the bottom (the "soup") topped by something with a contrasting texture and complementary flavor (the "sandwich"). Combos such as tomato soup topped with a tiny grilled cheese, or hot chocolate topped with a snazzy Sicilian doughnut.

"We use 1-1/2-ounce glasses that were designed to serve aquavit," a Scandinavian liquor, Greeley said. "With those small portions, we can put strong-flavored things in them with colors that are provocative. In that 1-1/2-ounce deal, you have to have wake-up wow. If it's astringent, there has to be more of a taste explosion. If it is salty, it has to have a saltier quality to it. With that small bit, you need to impress the taste buds."

He says some toppings stay in place atop the bottom layer, but others are more tenuous. He created a way to keep the topper on the surface called "the golden cup," a crunchy prize that snuggles atop the partially filled glass and holds the top component.

The cup is a round won-ton skin (gyoza wrapper) that is fried in a contraption that Greeley invented and made with welded-together ladles.

"To keep it crisp, you have to add the cup at the last minute," he said, giving an example of a spicy tomato Bloody Mary topped with lobster ceviche.

In general, verrines can be tray-passed or at the table, or used as an amuse-bouche or first course.

"We've done many events where clients choose to make seven or so of these into a meal. The possibilities are endless.

"The upside is that you can easily get about 20 servings per quart; the downside is washing the glasses."

But for me, one of the most challenging aspects is filling the glasses without making a mess. Greeley pours from one of those restaurant-style square inserts (sold at restaurant supply stores). He says they pour well out of a corner without creating drip marks.

Pascal Olhats

Olhats, chef-owner of Tradition by Pascal and Brasserie Pascal (both in Newport Beach), says the verrine phenomenon is often a topic of telephone conversations with his mother in Normandy, France.

"It's been two or three years that my mother keeps talking about verrines," he said of his mother, 83, who never loses her interest in cooking trends. "Once you have those little glasses, you can have fun and be more creative. The choice of glasses is up to the cook, but small glasses with straight sides have the best results.

"I went to a wedding reception last summer in Paris, and the food was mostly verrines. There were much fewer canapés. There were small glasses with potato salad in the bottom and marinated herring with cream sauce at the top. Or green lentil salad with mustard vinaigrette topped with garlic Lyonnaise-style sausage and a chopped parsley or chive garnish. For some verrines, you drink them like a shot, but for these, you need little spoons."

John Q. Humphreys

The chef-owner of The Ramos House Café, Humphreys is also the chef-proprietor of The Villa San Juan Capistrano, an event venue with catering services provided by Humphreys and Mitch Gillan. The fully renovated villa was built around 1920 and is across the street from the Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Used primarily for weddings, the site gives Humphreys a chance to showcase his fearless-style comfort foods. Those irresistible dishes take on high-falutin elegance served verrine-style.

"Catering a wedding used to mean big food stations, but from a wedding photographer's point of view, that means you end up with a lot of rubbish in your shot," Humphreys said. "With 13 to 14 passed appetizers, it is more fun and more casual. Ninety percent of our weddings are passed appetizers, not sit-down dinners. Guests can circulate, and it is easier to make sure there is something for everybody — guests who are vegetarians, kosher, whatever."

Small servings in diminutive glasses allow for the inclusion of more premier ingredients: the best caviar, lobster or foie gras.

Verrines such as tiny seared scallops with sorrel pesto atop vichyssoise, or miniature cocktail glasses filled with citrus martinis garnished with a seafood skewer. Or Bloody Mary shots garnished with Humphreys-style Scotch eggs (made with quail eggs).

Many cookware shops (such as Crate & Barrel or Sur La Table) sell 1-1/2- to 2-ounce glasses.

• HUMPHREYS' CITRUS VANILLA AND DUNGENESS CRAB COCKTAIL

Yield: About 24

3 blood oranges

3 tangerines

1 vanilla bean

1/2 cup trimmed, finely diced fennel bulb

1/4 cup finely diced shallots

4 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

4 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1-1/2 pounds chilled Dungeness crab

24 frisée leaves

24 small chilled martini glasses

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Procedure

Peel and segment blood oranges and tangerines: Cut top and bottom off citrus, making those two cuts parallel to each other and cutting just below white pith. Place cut-side down on work surface. Cut off peel and pith in strips about 1-inch wide, starting at the top of the fruit and cutting down (following contour of shape).

Working over juice, use a sharp small knife to cut parallel to one section's membrane, cut to center; turn knife and cut along the membrane on the other side of that section to remove it. Repeat until all sections are removed and cut from their membranes.

Squeeze juice from leftover pieces into the bowl with the reserved juice. Split and scrape vanilla bean pulp from pod; add the vanilla pulp to juice. Add fennel and shallots; stir to combine and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Stir in vinegar; whisk in oil. Add citrus segments. Refrigerate until needed.

When ready to serve, place one frisée leaf in the bottom of each glass. Toss crab in citrus vanilla mixture. Spoon 1 to 2 ounces (depending on size of glass) of mixture atop frisée leaf. Serve.

Source: John Q. Humphreys, The Ramos House Café and The Villa San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano.

• PASCAL'S LENTIL AND GARLIC SAUSAGE VERRINES

Yield: About 10 glasses

5 ounces dried lentils, such as French green lentils sometimes labeled "lentils du Puy"

1 small onion, peeled, quartered from top to bottom (be sure make a shallow cut at the root end so layers stay connected when quartered)

2 sprigs Italian parsley

1 quart salted water

For dressing:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, or a combination of canola and peanut oils or canola and walnut oil

8 to 10 ounces garlic sausage

Garnish: chopped chives

Cook's notes: If you like, add some chopped shallot to the cooked-and-cooled lentils. Instead of garlic sausage, use your favorite; the classic choice would be a "saucisson Lyonnais with truffles or pistachios. Note that the amount of servings will vary according to the size of the glasses. Serve them with small spoons and tell guests to dig down the glass to get the perfect combination in every bite.

Procedure

In a medium saucepan, simmer lentils, onion and parsley in salted water until tender but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes; drain well and transfer to a bowl. Remove onion and parsley. Taste lentils and adjust seasoning, adding salt and freshly ground pepper as needed.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing: In a small bowl or 4-cup measuring cup with a handle, whisk mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper to combine. Add oil in a small stream, whisking constantly. Taste and adjust seasoning. Place dressing in squeeze bottle.

Prepare garlic sausage: If sausage is uncooked, cook in salted water for about 25 minutes. If it is precooked, just warm it up in boiling water. Cool enough to handle and peel sausage; dice into 1/4-inch cubes.

Presentation: Squeeze dressing 1/4-inch deep into glasses, then add lentils delicately with a demitasse spoon or through a funnel with a wide spout to keep the glasses clean. Finish with the diced sausage on top and sprinkle chopped chives on top.

Source: Pascal Olhats, Tradition by Pascal and Brasserie Pascal, Newport Beach.

• GREELEY'S HOT CHA CHA CHOCOLATE WITH SICILIAN DOUGHNUTS

Yield: Eight 2-ounce portions

Hot chocolate:

2 cups of your favorite hot chocolate

4 ounces Scharffenberger or equivalent dark chocolate 72 percent, finely chopped

4 ounces very strong espresso coffee

Sicilian doughnut:

About 8 ounces chilled puff pastry, thawed if frozen

Cinnamon sugar:

1/2 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Minced or grated zest of 1 small lemon (colored portion of peel)

Procedure

In a medium-large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the hot chocolate, finely chopped dark chocolate and espresso over low heat, stirring frequently until heated through.

Place cinnamon sugar in a sieve on a plate next to the stove. Place a paper towel-lined baking sheet next to the stove.

Cut puff pastry into 2-inch circles. Heat butter and oil in large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until butter melts. Reduce heat to low. Fry puff pastry until browned. Place on paper towels and immediately dust with cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle with lemon zest.

Pour hot chocolate into 2-ounce glasses. Top each with a doughnut circle. Serve.

Source: Alan Greeley, The Golden Truffle, Costa Mesa.

• TOMATO SOUP AND GREEN CHILI QUAIL EGG RANCHEROS

Yield: About eight (2-ounce) servings

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

2 ripe medium-sized tomatoes, diced

1 garlic clove

1/4 Serrano chili, diced, see cook's notes

14 ounces chicken broth

Salt and pepper, to taste

Corn tortillas

Nonstick vegetable oil spray or olive oil spray

8 quail eggs

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil

Green Sauce (recipe follows)

Crumbled queso fresco

Cook's notes: Use caution when working with fresh chilies. Upon completion, wash hands and work surface thoroughly and do not touch eyes or face.

Procedure

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, garlic and chili; cook until garlic softens, but do not brown. Add broth and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Whirl in a blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper.

Cut tortillas into 2-inch circles. Set aside.

Generously coat a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil or olive oil spray. Cook 8 quail eggs sunny side up over medium-high heat; set aside. To the skillet, add oil and heat over high heat. Add tortilla rounds and fry until crisp. Drain tortillas on paper towels and top each with a fried quail egg.

Pour soup into 2-ounce glasses. Top each with a tortilla round topped with a fried quail egg. Top each with a teaspoonful of green sauce and sprinkle with queso fresco. Serve immediately.

Source: Alan Greeley, The Golden Truffle, Costa Mesa.

• GREEN SAUCE

Yield: About 1-1/2 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tomatillos, husks removed, wiped clean with paper towel, coarsely chopped

1 shallot, peeled, chopped

1 large garlic clove

1 fresh pasilla chili with seeds, coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

8 ounces chicken broth

Fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper

Cook's notes: Pasilla chilies are sometimes labeled "poblano." They are dark forest green and have more of a bell pepper kind of shape than elongated chilies such as jalapeño or Serrano.

Procedure

In a medium-large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add tomatillos, shallot, garlic, pasilla and celery; cook, stirring frequently, until garlic softens (but do not brown). Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens.

Add cilantro. Cautiously whirl mixture in blender until smooth (hold top of blender down with a pot holder). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Source: Alan Greeley, The Golden Truffle, Costa Mesa.