International Culinary Terms

affinage	In cheese making, the ripening of a cheese
affineur	In cheese making, the person who oversees .the ripening of  cheeses
aioli	A garlic mayonnaise popular in Provence.
aiguillettes	Long, thin slices of breast meat of poultry or game birds.
ala carte	Foods prepared to order; each dish priced separately.
al dente	Firm yet yielding to the bite. Refers to vegetables or pasta.
allumettes	Thin, finger-length hors d' oeuvres or petits fours made of puff pastry; also matchstick shapes;  usually refers to. potatoes. 3/16" x 3/16 x 2" or 3" In between julienne and battonet.
aperitif	An alcoholic drink taken before meals to stimulate the appetite. They are generally dry, sometimes bitter and flavored with aromatic herbs.
a point	Referring to a cheese which is perfectly ripe and ready to eat.
a sec	Until dry.
au gratin	Term applied to foods which have a crust formed by browning grated cheese and or bread crumbs on the surface.
au jus	With natural pan juices.
au naturel	Served in a natural' state or plainly cooked.
béchamel	A sauce made by thickening milk with a roux. One of the five primary sauces made from roux
bain marie.	Water bath or double boiler; used for gentle cooking or for , keeping foods warm.
ballottine	A piece of meat which is boned, stuffed and rolled into the shape of a bundle
barder	To wrap in thin slices of fat or bacon to protect meats with no natural fat cover while roasting.
barquettes	Small, oval-shaped tartlets or tart shells.
batonnet	Vegetable stick 1/4 x 1/4 x 2 -2 1/2 inches.
beurrer	To rub with butter on a mould or dish.
beurre blanc	A white butter sauce
beurre manie	Equal amounts of flour and raw butter kneaded together into a smooth paste. It is used as a thickening agent
blanc	A liquid for cooking or toasted vegetables. 5 parts water and flour to 1 part milk
blanchir	To blanche.
bouquet garni	used for flavoring. 6 parsley stems, 2 thyme twigs, 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns
Braiser	To braise.
Brunoise	Cut into 1/8" x 1/8" dice
chinois	A cone-shaped strainer. A very fine china cap.
clarifier	To clarify
cloute	To stud or nail cloves into an onion. Toothpick stuck in meat to secure.
concassee	Coarsely chopped.
confit	Meat of pork, goose, duck etc. cooked in its own fat and preserved completely immersed in the same fat
consommé	Clear soup, made from clarified stock, served hot or chilled.
coulis	A pourable puree of vegetables, fruit or shellfish. Also, juices of cooked meat or poultry
court bouillon	A poaching liquid made with water, aromatic vegetables, herbs and usually an acid. For fish or poultry.
couscous	North African pasta, made from a paste of semolina and water, dried and ground.
crouton	White bread cut in various shapes, fried or toasted.
crudites	Raw vegetables served as an hors d 'oeuvre or relish. dame Slice of fish through the spine.
deglacer	To add liquid to heated pan to dilute caramelized food particles.
Darne	A thick cut from the center of the fish
degraisser	To skim or remove excess fat.
digestif	An alcoholic drink taken after a meal, thought to aid digestion.
dorer	To brush with egg wash
duchesse	Potato preparation using a pastry bag with a star tip
duxelles	A paste of finely chopped mushrooms and shallots, sautéed until dry .
en coquille	Cooked or served in the shell. Refers to shellfish.
Ecumer	To remove the scum from a stock. To remove the impurities
emincer	A thin slice at a 90° angle cut cross the grain
Emonder	To remove skin or seeds by blanching
en Pappillote	Wrapped in parchment in uniform size and baked
entremettier	Chef responsible for vegetable preparation.
escalope	A cross grain cut
espangnole	1 of 5 primary sauces using a brown stock and tomatoes.
essences	A single flavor
etamine	A cheese cloth used to strain
etuver	To sweat or stew
fariner	To hand coat with flour. Latin for flour
filet	Tenderloin muscle of beef, veal, lamb or pork of a boneless piece fish.
filet mignon	Small cut from the tenderloin.
fines herbes	Blend of, fresh herbs; chervil, tarragon, chives and often parsley.
flambe	To flame
fleurons	A pastry cut in a crescent shape
foie gras	Liver of specially fattened geese.
fond	A stock or base
fouler	To push with a ladle or to extract
friture	Deep frying
Fumet	Fish stock.
gardemanger	Department of a kitchen that prepares cold food -salads, buffet items
garniture	Components of a dish, sometimes ingredients, sometimes decorate often giving the name to a dish.
gastrique	Caramelized sugars added to vinegar. Base for many sweet and sour sauces or relishes
gazpacho	A soup from Southern Spain made from pureed and chopped vegetables served cold.
gelee	Aspic    Literally means jellied.
gratin	Crust formed on foods sprinkled with cheese and/or breadcrumbs browned, food prepared in this manner
gratiner	To brown
griller	To grill, broil or barbeque.
grosse piece	Centerpiece of a buffet platter
hacher	To chop.
hollandaise	1 of 5 primary sauces using butter and egg yolk.
hors d'oeuvre	Appetizer.
Infuser	To infuse or inject with flavor
Julienne	A cut in strips 1/8" x 1/8" x 2" or 3"
jus	Juices from a roast.
jus lie	Thickened juices from a roast.
larder	To insert strips of fat into meats low in marbling.
lardon	A strip of back fat or bacon used for larding. Coarsely or finely diced bacon cooked, used as garnish.
liaison	Binding or thickening agent. Classically, egg yolks and cream.
lier	To thicken.
macedoine	Mixture of raw or cooked fruit or vegetables. May also be a diced vegetables, 1/4" on each side
mandoline	A very fine slicer-cutter utensil
manier	To do by hand or manually.
marsala	A fortified wine, either sweet or semi-dry from Sicily.
medaillon	Round or oval slice of meat or fish, circular cut.
mignonette	Cracked peppercorn. A side sauce for oysters made with white .
mirepoix	An aromatic blend of vegetables used for stocks
mise en place	Put in place
monter	To stir
monter au beurre	To stir in butter.
mouiller	To cover with liquid.
nappe	The desired consistency of a sauce
napper	To test for the thickness of a stock on the back of the spoon.
pate	Meat or fish dishes enclosed in pastry and baked. Served hot or cold
Pappillote	The little frilly paper placed on the end of bones.
paupiette	Thin slice of meat or fish wrapped around a stuffing or forcemeat.
paysanne	A rough peasant style cut.
pilaf	Rice that has first been cooked in fat the simmered in stock or other liquid, usually with onions and or seasonings.
Pocher	To poach.
prix fixe	Refers to a menu with set items sometimes offering a choice of entree, appetizer, and dessert. Literally, fixed price
Provencial	Refers to anything from the region of Provence in France.
quenelle	A protein dumpling made wine, vinegar, cracked peppercorn and from a mousseline and bound with eggs
ramequin	A small round cooking dish. Usually ceramic with straight sides.
radicchio	Red chicory, commonly small and round with wrinkly leaves and a bitter taste.
ragout	French term for stew.
remouillage	Re-cooking to reduce a stock.
remouiller	To rewet or recover with water .
restaurateur	A person who owns or operates a restaurant.
risotto	An Italian rice dish made with Arborio rice cooked in butter, with onions, wine and stock to which may be added other ingredients.
roux	Flour and fat, cooked, used as a binding or thickening agent
Ruban	A thickness consistent with a ribbon. With ribbon-like thickness.
sachet	A mixture of herbs and spices tied in a cheesecloth bag.
savory	A general term used to refer to foods that are the opposite of sweet.
souffle	A dish either sweet or savory , made of pureed ingredients thickened with egg yolks, and with stiffly beaten egg whites folded in and baked in a soufflé dish.
singer	To sprinkle or dust with flour
terrine	Earthenware container for cooking, also the food prepared in it. A terrine is made without a crust and is usually barded with back fat.
veloute	A white stock made with a blonde roux
vapeur	To steam
vanner	Aerate by stirring.
vinaigrette	Mixture of oil and vinegar seasoned with salt and pepper
zest	The colored, aromatic skin of citrus fruits.

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