Culinary
Terminology
Alfredo:
A rich white
sauce made with cream, parmesan, salt and pepper. Some variations include flour, garlic or egg
yolks.
Almondine: In
French, amandine, with almonds.
Bearnaise Sauce: Classical
French sauce prepared with egg yolk and butter, flavored with tarragon, shallot
and vinegar.
Beurre Blanc: White
butter sauce with a base of reduced wine, lemon, vinegar, shallots, herbs and
peppercorns.
Bordelaise Sauce: A
reduction of veal stock with bone marrow, red wine, parsley and herbs.
Caramelize: The
browning of sugars to achieve attractive appearance and enhanced flavor. Heat acts upon the sugar in vegetables and
the protein in flour or meats. Browning
of protein is also referred to as the “Maillard Effect”.
Chutney:
Traditionally a
chunky mango jam of Indian origin. Currently
applied to a wide range of preserves accompanying meat or fish, usually tart
and spicy.
Cous Cous: Starch
preparation derived from semolina of African and Middle Eastern origins,
recently adapted to modern cuisine.
Demiglaze: Often
referred to as “demi”. Fortified veal
stock and veal sauce that has been reduced by ½ its volume, can be used as the
base for many other sauces.
En Croute: In
crust, wrapped in or topped with pastry.
En Papillote: Baked
in parchment paper, excellent preparation for fish.
Florentine: “In
the style of Florence”. Traditionally,
this signifies a preparation using spinach and a mornay (cheese) sauce.
Francaise: Breading
an item in flour, then egg and parmesan.
Gnocchi:
Potato
pasta. Poached, then sautéed.
Hunter or Chasseur: Brown
sauce with carrot, shallot, mushroom, tomatoes and herbs.
Lyonnaise: “Of
Lyon, France”. Refers to potatoes with
onions.
Marinara:
Lightly cooked meatless tomato sauce with basil.
Marsala:
Made with
Marsala wine, veal stock, cream and mushrooms.
Mediterranean: A
presentation involving olives, onions, peppers; basically items used and found
in Mediterranean countries.
Moutarde: French
for “mustard”; involves a sauce of one or more mustard flavors.
Oscar:
A presentation
of meat involving crabmeat, asparagus and hollandaise.
Pesto:
Italian for
“pounded”; an uncooked sauce including basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan or
pecorino cheese and olive oil.
Piccata:
Preparation
including lemon, capers and vermouth.
Polenta:
Northern Italian dish of boiled cornmeal which can then be baked, cut
into shapes and sautéed. Can also be
served creamy.
Primavera: Italian
for “Spring”; Pasta and vegetables in tomato or white sauce.
Provencal: A
chunky tomato sauce with onions, olives and aromatic herbs.
Ragout:
A thick “stew”
of meat, seafood, poultry or vegetables.
Typically reduced with stock, the gelatin in the stock thickens the
ragout as it slowly reduces.
Reduction: A
liquid that has been slowly boiled down to increase flavor.
Sauce Dianne: Veal
stock, shallots, cognac, parsley and Dijon mustard.
Scallopine: A
medallion of meat, typically veal, that has been pounded then dredged in flour
and sautéed.
Spaetzle:
Traditional German dish of tiny dumplings that are poached and typically
sautéed or added to soup.
Stock:
The extracted
flavors and essence of any meat or vegetable, strained and reduced, used as a
base for many different types of soups and sauces.
Sous Vide: French
for “under vacuum”, sous vide is a food packaging technique in which
ingredients are vacuum packed and cooked in a water bath before chilling.
