French is often part of the kitchen language and sometimes a part of recipes, like Al Dente meaning to cook
something to the bite or just undercooked. So if you want to know the difference between a Tart Tartan and
a Tartar then take a look.
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A
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| A la carte |
a selection of food from a menu, individually priced. |
| A point |
a medium rare, measurement for usually steak. |
| Al dente |
a measurement for cooking. slightly undercooked with a slight bite. |
| Aperitif |
pre diner drink, usually served with small appetisers or canapés. |
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B
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| Ballottine |
a boneless stuffed leg of poultry. |
| Bavarois |
a rich set, cream based mousse. |
| Beignets |
fritters, usually made with choux pastry. |
| Beurre |
butter |
| Beurre Manie |
uncooked roux used to thicken soups and sauces |
| Beurre blanc |
a thickened butter sauce emulsified with white wine or lemon juice |
| Bien |
a steak cooked to medium. |
| Bien cuit |
a steak cooked medium well. (i assume a steak cooked well done would be "sacrabla"?) |
| Bleu |
(au bleu) usually refers to steak- being cooked very rare. meat will still be bloody and slightly raw, just sealed around edges by a high heat.. |
| Blinis |
a small yeast type fluffy pancake. |
| Boiled cream or crème brulee |
a creamy dessert thickened with egg yolks and caramelized. |
| Bouillabaisse |
a rich shellfish stew served as a soup. |
| Bouquet garni |
a bundle of aromatic herbs and spices used to flavour casseroles and stocks. |
| Bourguignonne |
french burgundy region style served in a sauce with wine, onions, garlic, bacon and mushrooms. |
| Brioche |
rich egg based bread enriched with butter (slightly sweet). |
| Brochette |
a skewer of food. |
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C
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| Calamar |
squid. |
| Canard |
duck. |
| Charcuterie |
a selection of cold meats and pates. |
| Chevre |
goat cheese |
| Chiffonade |
finely shredded lettuce |
| Chinoise |
a conical strainer or use a sieve. |
| Citron |
lemon |
| Clafoutis |
a dessert made with batter and fruit, a little like a sweet yorkshire pudding. |
| Coquille st jacques |
scallops. |
| Coulis |
a thin puree of fruit. |
| Croque monsieur |
a toasted ham and cheese sarnie, madame version has an egg on top. |
| Croquettes |
little round sausage shaped, minced meat, fish or vegetables bound in flour, egg and crumbs. |
| Crudites |
a selection of raw vegetables. |
| Crème anglaise |
custard made with egg yolks and cream or milk. |
| Crème chantilly |
vanilla flavoured sweetened whipped cream. |
| Crème patissiere |
pastry crème, rich custard made with egg yolks and milk. |
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D
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| Daube |
a thick french stew oftern a daube of beef- whole cooked beef pieces cooked in a casserole. |
| Deglacer |
to swill out the pan with stock, water or wine to remove all the lovely cooking flavours. |
| Demi-glace |
a rich beef based thickened stock. |
| Duxelle |
finely diced mushrooms and onion cooked down in butter, to form a pate/paste. used in beef wellington. |
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E
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| Entre |
a main course |
| Entrecote |
sirloin steak |
| Escalope |
a thin fillet flattened or sliced at an angle |
| Escargot |
a snail |
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F
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| Farce |
stuffing. |
| Farcie |
to stuff. |
| Flambe |
to flame, usually in alcohol. |
| Foie gras |
a pate made from goose liver. |
| Fraiche / frais |
fresh |
| Frangipane |
almond filling. |
| Frappe |
a drink served cold / chilled or with ice. |
| Fricasse |
a braised dish cooked in wine and cream. |
| Fromage |
cheese. |
| Fruits de mer |
a selection of fish and shellfish. |
| Fume |
smoked. |
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G
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| Galantine |
a piece of boned out meat stuffed and rolled, cooked and often served cold with a glaze. |
| Garnie |
serve with a garnish. |
| Gateau |
a decorated cake in french cookery this could be sweet or savoury. |
| Gazpacho |
a cold tomato based soup |
| Genoise |
a light sponge. |
| Gigot |
leg i.e. gigotte de pork roti; roast leg of pork. |
| Glace |
ice cream |
| Goujons |
strips of fish or meat coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and deep-fried. although the term generally means now- strips of anything, cooked anyhow. |
| Granite |
frozen flavoured ice-crystals, similar to a slushy sorbet. |
| Gratin |
glazed or caramelised under the grill or in the oven. |
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H
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| Hombard |
a lobster |
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J
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| Jambon |
ham |
| Julienne |
finely stripped |
| Jus |
the natural juices form the meat |
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L
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| Langostine |
crayfish, like a prawn with pincers, looks like a mini baby lobster. |
| Lard |
bacon |
| Lardon |
a cube of bacon or cured pork. |
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M
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| Maison |
means house, term used on a menu usually dish of the "house". |
| Maitre d’hotel |
headwaiter. |
| Marche |
market |
| Menthe |
mint flavored. |
| Meuniere |
fish lightly floured, cooked in butter and served with lemon and parsley. |
| Mille feuille |
a dessert of puff pastry layers. |
| Mirepoix |
a selection of chopped diced vegetables to flavour soups, sauces, casseroles or stocks. usually onion, celery and carrot |
| Mise en place |
everything in its place. pre- preparation making sure everything's ready to go, to deliver a good meal/ service. |
| Mornay |
a cheese sauce, made with a base of white sauce. |
| Moules marinieres |
a traditional french mussel dish, stewed down with onions, wine, garlic and cream. served in the shell. |
| Mousse |
a light airy whip, a creamy dessert. |
| Mousseline |
a light mousse, usually savory -lightened with cream and or whipped egg whites. |
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N
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| Nappe |
covered over with sauce. |
| Navarin |
a well flavored lamb casserole. |
| Noir |
black. as in beurre noissette = black butter flavored with capers and parsley, used for fish. |
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O
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| Oeuf |
egg |
| Oignon |
an onion |
| Omelette |
a light beaten, cooked egg dish. served in a crescent shape, often stuffed with cheese or vegetables. |
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P
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| Pate |
either a pastry or a blend of livers in to a light spreadable blend. |
| Petit pois |
small green peas. |
| Petits fours |
small bite sized desserts. |
| Pithivier |
two circles of puff pastry stuffed with an almond sponge, glazed and baked. |
| Plataeu |
a platter. used in a selection of foods served on a big dish. |
| Poisson |
any type of fish. |
| Poivre |
pepper, noir- black, rose red, vert green. |
| Pomme |
an apple |
| Pommes frites |
thin cut chips. |
| Potage |
soup |
| Poussin |
a baby chicken, serves one. |
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Q
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| Quenelle |
an oval shape, used by forming a mousse, ice cream, pate etc together between to dessertspoons. |
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R
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| Ragout |
a stew. |
| Ramakin |
a small individual pottery, ovenproof dish. |
| Remoulade |
a mayonnaise based sauce of garlic, anchovies, capers, gherkins and parsley. to watch the weight use thick yogurt. |
| Roulade |
a rolled and stuffed, egg savory or sweet dessert. |
| Roux |
equal quantities of flour and butter used to thicken sauces. |
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S
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| Sabayon |
a light dessert or sauce, cooked over a bain marie of whipped egg yolks, sugar and wine or liquor |
| Sable |
a variety of biscuit. |
| Saignant |
a steak cooked rare. |
| Salade verte |
a green salad |
| Savarin |
sweetbread like mixture enriched with egg and butter and soaked in sugar syrup. rum baba is made from the same mix see CookeryClub's recipes. |
| Souffle |
an extremely light, whipped egg recipe, sweet or savory. served with a raised top. |
| Supreme |
the breast meat of chicken or a fillet of fish. |
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T
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| Tart tartin |
a pastry dessert, served upside down, to show of the fruit and caramel sauce. |
| Tartare |
raw minced beef fillet, served with raw onion rings and a raw egg. |
| Tepenade |
a puree of black olives, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, parsley and seasoning. |
| Terrine |
a long loaf shape, terrines can be cooked meat, fish or vegetable course pates or sweet frozen or set desserts. |
| Truss |
to bind/ tie up food with string in order to hold its shape during cooking |
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V
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| Veloute |
a "velvety" sauce, made form 1/2 stock and 1/2 roux - white sauce. often used as a fish sauce made from fish stock. |
| Vichyssoise |
a cold soup of leek and potatoes. vichyssoise: cold, creamy leek and potato soup. |