verrine is a term coined by the Paris patissier Philippe Conticini in 1994, when he began stylishly layering ingredients with contrasting or complementary flavors, textures, and colors in small, clear glasses. It is derived from the French word verre (glass). Heading up the kitchen at Petrossian in Paris a few years later, Conticini served individual courses throughout entire meals the same way, with long-handled flatware with which to savor each bite. “What creates synergy in a dish,” he explained in the New York Times in 2001, “is not just the combination of flavors, but how they are combined. And often with a dessert, a plate simply won’t do. Because it’s flat, it does not allow the components to mingle as they are eaten. I played around with different dishes and bowls and finally decided on a glass … the flavors are like neighbors in a small community. They bump into one another, they interact and they are concentrated.”
