ENTIRE cookbooks are written about them, glossy magazine spreads are devoted to them, home cooks blog about their addiction to making them, clamoring, "I have caught the bug!" or "I could not stop thinking about them...."
Chic patisseries in Paris -- including Pierre Herme, Jean-Paul Hevin and Fauchon -- showcase them, and prominent French chefs such as Guy Savoy, Yves Camdeborde and Helene Darroze put them on their menus. A pretty, tiny one might come with your aperitif, or it might be the last dazzling thing you see on the table at the end of a meal.
But what are they? They're called \o7verrines\f7. You haven't heard of them? Well, most American chefs haven't, either. A \o7verrine\f7 is an appetizer or dessert that consists of a number of components layered artfully in a small glass. (The word \o7verrine\f7 refers to the glass itself; literally it means "protective glass.")
Intriguingly composed, they're a study in textures, flavors, colors and temperatures. A beautiful glass might be filled with a layer of mushroom flan, sauteed wild mushrooms, a julienne of prosciutto, parsley gelee, wild mushroom emulsion and topped with a potato and prosciutto galette. Another will have clementine and mint syrup, fresh clementines and a gingerbread "crumble."
American chefs are just starting to catch on to the \o7verrine\f7. But in France it's a culinary trend that's captured just about everyone's imagination -- including home cooks. Several cookbooks about \o7verrines\f7 have been published in France, with titles such as "Manger Dans un Verre" (Eating in a Glass), "Un Plat Dans un Verre" (A Dish in a Glass) and, just out this month, "Divines Verrines\o7.\f7"
If you subscribe to the idea that starting with an impressive appetizer and ending with a splashy dessert guarantees that dinner will be fabulous, then \o7verrines\f7 are ideal for entertaining: They have sparkle, they have flair, and you even assemble them ahead of time.
Meanwhile, in Paris, they're hotter than ever among chefs. "At the moment, we see things served in \o7verrines\f7 everywhere," says Kirk Whitlle, pastry chef at Michelin two-star restaurant Helene Darroze.
Nearly all the desserts in the restaurant's Le Salon are \o7verrines\f7. One has layers of bay leaf-flavored panna cotta, Mara des Bois strawberries, lemon gelee, lemon crumble and strawberry sorbet. Another has salted caramel ice cream, chocolate-cumin \o7tuil\f7\o7e\f7 and Madong chocolate cream.
