Finger Bowl

It may come as something of a surprise to you that someone would have a recipe for finger bowl at all, but I do and there's a reason for it.

In my last restaurant, which was distinctly French in both style and ambience, we served a number of dishes that were designed to be eaten with the fingers. Diners would want to rinse their fingers both before and after eating and we wanted to provide them with something that was more than just warm water and a slice of lemon.

So we devised individual finger bowls, carefully flavored and decorated, as well as linen napkins to go with them. These days I do the same thing in my own home when I have guests for a meal, and I recommend it to you. It's a practice that dates back centuries.

Finger bowls need not be large. Small soup bowls of delicately perfumed water and small, neatly folded linen or flannel - not paper - napkins are all that's required.

Prepare the water by paring the peel of an orange using a potato peeler. If you have 6-8 guests, you need 6-8 slices of peel.

Put the peel plus four sprigs of rosemary into a pan containing 2 litres (about 4 pints) of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and then leave to cool.

Discard the rosemary before dividing the tepid water between 6-8 small bowls, ensuring there is a strip of orange peel in each.

Distribute the finger bowls when needed by placing a napkin, folded in half, to the right of each diner and putting the finger bowl on top of it.

You can vary the ingredients (except for the water!) as much as you wish. For example, use sage and lemon peel instead, or camomile with little flowers of the same floating on the water. Bay leaves would also work well.

The important thing is that by doing this you not only provide your diners with a pleasant experience, you demonstrate that you really care about their comfort and enjoyment.

First published on Qassia