The Ultimate Amuse Bouche

Motion Designer Tracy introduces her animation inspired amuse bouche.

One of the first things you learn about in animation is Persistence of Vision, which is the phenomenon where the illusion of motion is created because the brain interprets multiple still images as one. When multiple images appear in fast enough succession, the brain blends them into a single, persistent, moving image.

An early example of this is the Thaumatrope, invented in 1825 by John Ayrton Paris. It often features a bird image one side and a cage or branch the other. The images are suspended by string or attached to a stick and when spun the two images magically blend into one. Have a go at making one here: How to Make a Thaumatrope

I have always been fascinated by these early Victorian optical toys and when tasked with producing the Amuse Bouche for a dinner party I thought to myself “I wonder if I can make an edible Thaumatrope?”

An amuse bouche is a thing of beauty and elegance, full of lovely tastes and flavours, but is also meant to surprise and delight your guests and set the tone for the evening ahead.

I set about making my edible thaumatropes. I hand carved individual birds from M&S finest prosciutto di parma and set them in a disc of parmesan, then inserted thin bamboo barbecue skewers. After first bake, I flipped them over to add the tree branch to the other side with more parmesan. Twice baked, cooled and set - they were ready to go.

I can honestly say the recipients were absolutely enthralled at their surprise, interactive starter. An amuse bouche that Heston would have been proud of!