French culinary term question

A restaurant makes what they call an "amuse" (canape). They don't use the term, "amuse bouche," just "amuse." What is the plural spelling of amuse?

Menage a trois.

[Robin Garr]

A restaurant makes what they call an "amuse" (canape). They don't use the term, "amuse bouche," just "amuse." What is the plural spelling of amuse?

Hmm ... bear in mind that "amuse" is really a verb. I would think (although my French is far from fluent) that a platter full would be "amuses bouches." I think the tendency to abbreviate it to just-plain "amuse" is pretty much Americanized French.

To be pedantic, a canape is a small appetizer on a plate of bread. An amuse bouche ("amuse the mouth") is a tiny complementary plate, a sort of gift from the chef. It's also sometimes called "amuse gueule" ("amuse the gullet"), although I once had a very tasteful American-French women lecture me that this is a rather vulgar term. I've seen it used without irony in American eateries, but this may be because they didn't know any better.

I asked the author if he meant amuse bouche, but he said his restaurant always just called them amuse, so I kept it that way. Oh, well. He's the boss; he paid for my editing.

I think the tendency to abbreviate it to just-plain "amuse" is pretty much Americanized French.

Next thing you know, some restaurant will begin "super sizing" amuse bouche.

My guess, and it is only that, is that the plural and the singular are the same. One amuse bouche, many amuse bouche. Because it is the food item that we are seeking to multiply, not the number of bouches being amused.

Where is Eve when we need a French lesson?

My French ain't great but I would assume the plural would be "amuses bouches", though I've never seen this used before.

rwj

[Jenise]

Menage a trois.

And that's on the nights when you can only get two girls to come over.

Just to complicate matters (heh, heh, heh), there's also the phrase 'amuse geule'

[Robin Garr]

Just to complicate matters (heh, heh, heh), there's also the phrase 'amuse gueule'

See my reply above.

Just to complicate matters (heh, heh, heh), there's also the phrase 'amuse gueule'

See my reply above.

Oops. Sorry, Robin, I missed that. Btw, I too was told that the phrase is somewhat off-color or vulgar in connotation.

Menage a trois.

And that's on the nights when you can only get two girls to come over.

Then it's "amuse moi."

I believe that the term refers to the course, i.e., its name, not the items being served for the course. Thus, the word would not be pluralized because the amuse-bouche happened to consist of three or four items. I have heard chefs in France refer to the course in passing as simply amuse, but the term is usually not placed on the carte presented for the guests to make their dinner selection from. After all, the amuse is brought while the patron is making their selection from the carte. When it is listed, such as on a proposal for a party or banquet, it is never pluralized.