Cookbook rolls fine dining into a single bite

By Debra Hale-Shelton
Associated Press

Tramonto, executive chef and co-owner of Tru near Chicago's Magnificent Mile, is the author of a new cookbook, "Amuse-Bouche: Little Bites of Delight Before the Meal Begins," (Random House $35).

Written with food writer and editor Mary Goodbody, the book offers recipes for more than 100 of Tramonto's creations, which have become such a popular offering at Tru that the restaurant prepares more than 500 pieces daily, of six to eight types.

The name, amuse-bouche (ah-myuz boosh), is both singular and plural. These tiny, bite-size treats are intended "to amuse the mouth, invigorate the palate, whet the appetite" and are a hospitality gift from the chef, served in fine-dining restaurants.

According to Tramonto, his book is the first to focus on "these tiny culinary treasures," which can range from something as simple as watermelon cubes with aged balsamic vinegar, to what he calls "the ultimate amuse": caviar.

Sometimes an amuse literally amuses — for example, the lobster bisque with lobster ceviche disguised as a cappuccino and served at a luncheon promoting Tramonto's new book.

Some are more exotic: frog-leg terrine with sherry vinaigrette, walnuts, frisee and cherry tomatoes. Others use common ingredients: creamy grits with butternut squash and sweet corn.

How does an amuse differ from an appetizer?

"It's all about size," Tramonto says — an amuse is much smaller than an appetizer.

Tramonto, 39, quit high school before he turned 16 after his father went to prison. He enrolled in a vocational tech program to learn about cooking. He went from a fast-food franchise to a steakhouse and on to a hotel job where he got his classic French training. There he met his future wife, Gale Gand, Tru co-owner and executive pastry chef. (Tramonto and Gand are now divorced but remain business partners and friends.)

After the hotel job, things kept getting better: the job titles, the cookbooks (a fourth is in the works), the restaurants, with Tru opening in 1999.

Tramonto learned his trade, his art, on the job. "I cook right from my heart because I don't have the technical schooling to get in my way," he said.

His earliest culinary experience was at home, where he cooked with his two Italian immigrant grandmothers. "We cooked risotto, osso buco; we made eggplant parmesan; we made lasagna; we made roasts, everything, the gamut," he recalled fondly.

Tramonto points out the amuse offers the average person the opportunity to use a few "luxury ingredients" without spending a small fortune.

"You can be very frugal and spend very little money because you're buying very little amounts of something," he says. "This is a great way to try one little slice of raw fish; it's a one-bite thing. You're talking about one forkful."

In fact, he writes, "if an amuse is more than a bite and a half, it ceases being an amuse and becomes an appetizer."

The amuse also offers cooks a way to use last night's sparse leftovers. Tramonto suggests, for example, taking just six leftover rigatoni, stuffing them with ricotta and serving them as an amuse.

Here, from Tramonto's new book, is his recipe for a more elegant version, ricotta-stuffed rigatoni with spring vegetables and pesto oil.

To keep the rigatoni firm for stuffing, Tramonto writes, "The trick is to cook the rigatoni only until al dente, and then refrigerate it." He also suggests "cooking extra pasta because some inevitably split in the boiling water and others are lost to snacking!"

Ricotta-Stuffed Rigatoni with Spring Vegetables and Pesto Oil

• 1 cup rigatoni
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 4 large fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 yellow summer squash
• 1 cup green beans
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• Pesto oil, for garnishing (recipe follows)

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the pasta for 11 to 14 minutes or until al dente. Drain and transfer to a medium-sized bowl, toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking and allow to cool slightly. Cool and refrigerate.

Stir the ricotta and basil together until well mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

Slice the ends off the squash. Using a Japanese mandoline fitted with the fine-shredding blade, julienne lengthwise, avoiding the seedy center parts. If you don't have a mandoline, shred the vegetables as thinly as possible with a small, sharp knife.

In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the green beans for 3 to 4 minutes or until crisp and tender. Drain and immediately submerge in cold water. Drain again and set aside.

In another saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the shredded squash for one minute. Drain and immediately submerge in cold water. Drain again. Put the squash in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Toss the squash and green beans with 1 tablespoon oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/3-inch plain tip with the ricotta filling. Pipe some of the filling into each rigatoni tube and arrange on a flat plate. (The cup of uncooked rigatoni will provide more than enough tubes of pasta. Use those that have not split during cooking.)

To serve, center a small mound of the squash and beans on a small plate. Top with a filled rigatoni tube, sprinkle with tomatoes, and drizzle with pesto oil.

This recipe makes 6 to 10 servings. Repeat to make 5 to 9 more servings.

Correction: The ricotta-stuffed rigatoni with spring vegetables and pesto oil recipe omitted instructions for making pesto oil. The instructions will be included in the Jan. 15 Taste section.