Have you ever been taunted by a bite of food? Offered one tantalizing forkful of something scrumptious, only to have it whisked away, the taste still lingering temptingly on your tongue?

If so, then you've experienced the latest French culinary trend to hit the United States: amuse-bouche. Amuse-bouche (pronounced ah-myuz-boosh) are tiny bites of food served before a meal to whet the palate and invigorate the appetite. They're more whimsical than hors d'oeuvres, and smaller (by half a bite) than appetizers. And according to chef Rick Tramonto, they're the perfect alternative to tired pre-dinner plates like hummus and chips.

Tramonto, head chef of Chicago's Tru, pays homage to these culinary jewels in Amuse-Bouche: Little Bites of Delight Before the Meal Begins (Random House, 2002, $35). The book contains more than 100 recipes for amuse-bouche, including soups, pastas, meats, fish, sorbets and juices.

All of the recipes capture Tramonto's enthusiasm for the art of amuse-bouche -- a striking blend of color, shape, texture and taste. Illustrated in 52 photographs, some of the book's tiny dishes are stunning, as pleasing to the eye as they are to the mouth.

An heirloom tomato salad sits in a bright red and yellow pile the size of an anthill, topped with a fresh shaving of Parmigiano cheese and a crispy buttermilk cracker. A miniature pasta salad is made with three pieces of tricolored farfalle pasta and decked with tender greens, crumbled cheese and thinly sliced pancetta. Venison carpaccio is sliced into two thin red circles and garnished with full red grapes, a brush stroke of chocolate, two dots of green dill oil and a few flakes of fleur de sel.

The recipes in Amuse-Bouche range from the elaborate (torchon of foie gras with peppered pineapple relish) to the more casual (creamy corn grits with butternut squash). Most of them are easy to prepare for a cook with some experience, but a novice might trip over hard-to-find ingredients like fiddleheads, kohlrabi and celery root, or equipment like bento boxes and foam canisters. (To his credit, Tramonto does provide an index listing food and equipment stores across the country.)

If there's one drawback to amuse-bouche, it's that they're time-consuming. Although many of the recipes can be translated into main courses, the more impressive ones like chilled sweet pea soup with lobster require a great deal of effort.

What cook (besides, of course, Tramonto) wants to go through the trouble of boiling a lobster, shelling peas, then cracking the lobster -- all to serve a fleeting taste of such a savory soup? Surely most diners want more than a shot-sized bowl topped with a tiny piece of lobster flesh.

That is, however, the essence of amuse-bouche: to taunt and to tantalize.

Warm Onion Tart With Thyme

Makes 12

1 Spanish onion

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

Peel and cut the onion in half through the root. Trim the ends and then julienne the onion lengthwise.

Melt the butter in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion is deep golden-brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Unfold the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface and turn over to prevent the creases from splitting. Pat down gently to flatten the sheet.

Using a 1-inch round fluted cookie cutter, stamp out 6 rounds and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

Transfer the rounds to a wire rack to cool. When cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to split each round in half horizontally.

Assemble the tarts on small plates by spooning a generous amount of the warm onion mixture onto each of the bottom halves. Replace the tops and serve immediately on small plates.