Glossary

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

- A -

Al dente (adjective)
Literally translates to “to the tooth” - Referring to pasta or a vegetable being mostly cooked, but still having some density. Not softened, or mushy.

Allumette (noun)
Cut into matchstick shapes, usually referring to potatoes.

Antipasto (noun)
Literally translates to “before the meal” - appetizers, in Italian cuisine generally referring to cold marinated vegetables and meat.

Argenteuil (ar zhawn toy) (adjective)
Garnished with asparagus

- B -

Bain Marie (noun)
Literally translates to “Mary’s Bath” - A method of cooking or warming foods by
immersing the pan into a larger pan containing warm water.

Bard (verb)
To wrap fat or bacon around meats or poultry that lack natural fats (quail, cornish game hens, etc.)

Batonnet (noun)
Chopping vegetable into sticks, about 1/4″ x 1/4″ x 2-3″ (potatoes are typically chopped Alumette style, where other vegetables are batonnets.)

Beurre manié (burr-man-yay) (noun)
Literally translates to “Kneaded Butter” - is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces. By kneading the flour and butter together, the flour particles are coated in butter. When the beurre manié is whisked into a hot or warm liquid, the butter melts, releasing the flour particles without creating lumps. Beurre manié should not be confused with roux, which is also a thickener made of equal parts of butter and flour, but which is cooked before use.

Beurre Noir (burr-nwahr) (noun)
Literally translates to “Black Butter” - melted butter that is cooked over low heat until the milk solids turn a very dark brown. As soon as this happens acid is carefully added to the hot butter, usually lemon juice or a type of vinegar. Some recipes also add a sprig of parsley, which is removed from the hot butter before the acid is added. Beurre noir is typically served with eggs, fish and certain types of vegetable.

Beurre Noisette (burr-nwasette) (noun)
Literally translates to “hazelnut butter”, sometimes loosely translated as ‘brown butter’ - is frequently used in French pastry production. Unsalted butter is melted over low heat and allowed to separate into butterfat and milk solids. The milk solids naturally sink to the bottom of the pan and, if left over gentle
heat, will begin to brown. As the milk solids reach a toasty hazelnut color, the pan is removed from the heat. Beurre noisette may be used in its liquid state, or cooled to a solid form. It imparts a warm, nutty flavor, and is particularly included in the batters for madeleines and financiers.

Blanch (verb)
Culinary - A process of food preparation wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process. Done to assist in the removal of skin from a vegetable, preserve color, and/or to maintain fresh flavor in certain vegetables.

Blanch (verb)
Gardening - To wrap leaves or stalks of plants with paper to prevent photosynthesis. This produces pale to white stalks and leaves. Frequently used for asparagus, endive and radicchio.

Boil (verb)
To cook in water, or other liquid, which at normal pressure and elevation conditions would occur at approximately 212 degrees farenheit.

Bouquet Garni (noun)
Fresh herbs tied into a bundle, or bouquet, added to a dish while cooking. Typically the bouquet is removed at the end of cooking after the flavors have been imparted.

Braise (verb)
To cook meats and/or vegetables in a small amount of liquid, either stovetop or
in the oven.

Brine (noun)
Brining (verb)
A process similar to marination in which meat is soaked in a salt solution (the brine) before cooking.
Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes. This leads salt ions to enter the cell via diffusion. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix which traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from drying out, or dehydrating.

Brunoise (Broon-wahz)
(verb) To dice into very small dice (1/8″)
(adjective) to be garnished with vegetables chopped into this style.

Butterflying (verb)
A cutting technique used by butchers to transform a thick, compact piece of meat into a thinner, larger one. The piece of meat to be cut is laid out flat on a cutting board and cut in half parallel to the board from one side almost all the way to the other. A small “hinge” is left at the one side, which is used to fold the meat out like a book. The resemblance of this unfolding motion to the wings of a butterfly is what gives this cut its name. The final result is a piece of meat with half the thickness and twice the surface area of the original piece. This technique is often used as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, pounding out the meat with a meat mallet to make it thinner. Common uses of this technique include creating thin cutlets of chicken out of chicken breasts for dishes such as chicken piccata, or rendering lamb leg roasts suitible for making roulades.

- C -

Caramelize (verb)
To cook until all sugars have taken on a brown coloring, and have sweetened,without becoming burning and becoming bitter.

Chiffonade (Shiff-o-nodd) (adjective)
Literally translates to “rag-like”, referring to the fabric-like strips that result in this vegetable preparation technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables (such as spinach and basil) are cut into long, thin strips. This is generally accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting
across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons.

Confit (con-fee) (noun)
In French, a generic term for several kinds of preserve. Confit is one of the oldest ways to preserve food, and is a speciality of southwestern France. The word comes from the French verb confire (to preserve), which in turn comes from the Latin word (conficere), meaning “to do, to produce, to make, to prepare.” The French verb was first applied in medieval times to fruits cooked and preserved in sugar syrup or honey. Later, it came to describe various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavor and preservation. Sealed and stored in a cool place, confit can last for several months, and can be reheated to extend its useful life.

Cotyledon (noun)
The first visible leaves upon germination of a seed. The cotyledons may be ephemeral, lasting only days after emergence, or persistent, enduring a year or more on the plant. The cotyledons contain (or in the case of gymnosperms and monocotyledons, have access to) the stored food reserves of the seed. As these reserves are used up, the cotyledons may turn green and begin photosynthesis, or may wither as the first true leaves take over food production for the seedling.

- D -

Deglaze (verb)
To add a few ounces of an acid (wine, citrus juice, water, etc.) to a hot pan after cooking, to dissolve cooked particles that are clinging to the bottom of the pan. This method is widely used as the start to making sauces and is essential to the “flavor layering” process.

Duxelle (doo zell) (noun)
A coarse paste or hash made of finely chopped mushrooms sauteed with shallots.

- E -

Emincer (em man say) (verb)
To cut into very thin slices, usually accomplished on a mandoline.

Etuver (Ay too vay) (verb)
To cook, or steam an item in it’s own juices or fat. See also “Sweating”

- F -

Filet/Fillet (fill-ay) (verb) (noun)
In meat, refers to a boneless tenderloin. In fish, a boneless side of the fish.

Finish (verb)
In culinary terms, “finish” can refer to a change of method for the last phase of cooking, or last minute ingredients that are added for flavor or presentation. i.e. “We finished the risotto with heavy cream and parmesan”, or “She finished the frittata in the broiler to brown the cheese.”

Florentine (adjective)
Garnished with, or featuring spinach as a primary ingredient.

Frittata (noun)
An Italian style of open-faced omelette. Usually finished in the oven, or under a broiler.

- G -

Granita (grah-nee-tah) (noun)
Popuarly referred to “Italian Ice”. Coarse, crystallized frozen dessert made of water, sugar and fruit juice or other flavoring. Also called “Granité” in French.

- H -

 

- I -

 

- J -

Jardinière (zhar din yair) (adjective)
Literally translates to “from the garden” - Refers to foods garnished with fresh vegetables.

Julienne (zhu-lee-en) (verb)
A method of chopping into fine strips (1/8″x1/8″x2-3″ approx.), or foods garnished with food cut into this style.

- K -

 

- L -

Leeks
Leeks may be started from seeds directly in the garden in spring or late summer, or they may be started in flats indoors and transplanted. Sow seeds 1/4″ deep in soil rich in organic matter and phosphorus. Seeds and plants are best planted in trenches, about 8″ deep. As the leeks begin to grow, mound up soil around bases to blanch them as they develop. If sown in place, the plants should be thinned to stand 2 1/2″ apart. Provide them with continued moisture and fertilizer. Very young thinnings can be used as scallions. Leeks can tolerate more shade than many vegetables but grow slowly without full sun. Leeks are generally harvested as they are needed and used right away. They can be lifted when only 1/2″ wide or up to 2″ in diameter. The leek season can be prolonged by leaving leeks in the ground until freezing weather arrives. They are cold tolerant, and overwinter just fine in zone 8.

London Broil (noun)
Flank or skirt steak, or similar cut of beef that is broiled or grilled rare and cut into thin slices before serving.

- M -

Mezza Luna (noun)
Literally translates to “Half Moon” - A type of crescent shaped blade with two handles. Used to chop, utilizing a rocking motion.

Mince (verb)
To chop into very fine pieces

Mirepoix (meer-a-pwa) (noun)
The French name for a combination of onions, carrots and celery (either common Pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as soups, stews and sauces. Traditionally, the ratio for mirepoix is 2:1:1 of onions, celery, and carrots. The ratio for bones to mirepoix for stock is 10:1. When making a white stock, or fond blanc, parsnips are used instead of carrots to maintain the pale color.

Mise en place (Meez on plahss) (verb)
Literally translates to “set into place” or “install”, most commonly translated as “Everything in it’s place”. The gathering and placement of all necessary tools and ingredients. All the preparations and organization that must be made before actual preparations begin. As a noun, it refers to the collection of tools and materials themselves.

- N -

 

- O -

 

- P -

Papillote, en (on pap-ee-yote) (adjective)
“In paper” - a method of preparation where foods are wrapped in parchment or foil, so it can steam in it’s own juices while cooking.

- Q -

 

- R -

Roux (roo) (noun)
A mixture of flour and butter (or other fat) used in the thickening of soups and sauces. The mixture is cooked by stirring over heat in a pot or pan. The fat is heated first, in the process melting it if necessary, then the flour is added, the mixture is stirred until the flour is incorporated and then cooked until at least the point where a raw flour taste is no longer apparent. The end result is a thickening and flavoring agent. The final results can range from the nearly white to the nearly black, depending on the length of time it is over the heat, and its intended use.

- S -

Sauté (saw-tay) (verb)
Literally translates as “to jump”. Food that is sautéed is usually cooked for a relatively short period of time over high heat, with the goal of browning the food while preserving its color, moisture and flavor. This is very common with more tender cuts of meat. Sautéing differs from searing in that the sautéed food is thoroughly cooked in the process. One may sear simply to add flavor and improve appearance before another process is used to finish cooking it.

Searing (verb)
To quickly cook food (typically meat) at high temperature so that a caramelized crust forms. This method helps ensure that moisture stays inside of the food through the remainder of the cooking process.

Solanine (noun)
A toxic substance found in potatoes that have turned green.

Sweat (verb)
culinary use - to cook in a small amount of fat, over a low heat. This method extracts essential flavors, without carmelizing and adding undesired sweetness.

- T -

Temper (verb)
To raise the temperature of a cold liquid gradually, by slowly adding a hot liquid.

- U -

 

- V -

 

- W -

 

- X -

- Y -

 

- Z -

Zest (verb) (noun)
The colored outermost peel of citrus fruit, or the act of removal thereof.

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