Zac Vega

August 8, 2005
World of Culinary Vocabulary (1 of 6)
Monday (12:40 – 1:40 PM)

Purée – To process food to achieve a smooth pulp; (2) Food that is processed by
mashing, straining or fine chopping to achieve a smooth pulp.

Internal Garnish – Garnish used in such a way that it is incorporated into the dish being
served to the patron.

Madeira – A Portuguese fortified wine heated during aging to give it distinctive flavor
and brown color.

Béarnaise – A sauce made of butter and egg yokes and flavored with a reduction of
vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and peppercorn.

Emulsion – A uniform mixture of two unmixable liquids; (2) Flavoring oils such as
orange and lemon, mixed into water with aid of emulsions.

Cumberland Sauce – Sauce developed from a type of traditional sausage that originated
in the (former) county of Cumberland, in the English Lake District.

Ballotine – Similar to a galantine; usually made by stuffing a deboned poultry leg with
forcemeat; it is then poached or braised and normally served hot.

Practical – Term most recently developed into another way of saying “lab” or “test.”

Foie Gras – French for “Fat Liver.” Foie Gras is the liver of a duck or goose that has
been overfed. Along with truffles, Foie Gras is considered one of the greatest delicacies
in the world of French cuisine. It is very rich and buttery, with a delicate flavor unlike
regular duck or goose liver.

Cheesecloth – A light, fire mesh gauze used to strain liquids and make sachets.

Roulade – A slice of meat, poultry, or fish rolled around a stuffing; (2) A filled and
rolled spongecake.

Mayonnaise – A thick, creamy sauce consisting of oil and vinegar emulsified with egg
yolks, usually used a salad dressing.

Hollandaise – An emulsified sauce made of butter, egg yolks and flavorings (especially
lemon juice).

Bain-Marie – A hot-water bath used to gently cook food or keep cooked food hot; (2) A
container for holding food in a hot-water bath.
Shiitake Mushrooms - An edible mushroom typically cultivated on the shii tree.
Shiitake have many uses in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. They are served in miso soup,
used as the basis for a kind of vegetarian dashi, and also as an ingredient in many
steamed and simmered dishes.

Braise – A combination cooking method in which foods are first browned in hot fat, then
covered and slowly cooked in a small amount of liquid over low heat; braising uses a
combination of simmering and steaming to transfer heat from the liquid (conduction) and
the air (convection) to the foods.

Pan Fry – A dry-heat cooking method in which food is placed in a moderate amount of
heat.

Sauté – A dry-heat cooking method that uses conduction to transfer heat from a hot pan
to food with the aid of a small amount of hot fat; cooking usually done quickly over high
temperatures.

Mise en Place – French for “Putting in Place.” Refers to the preparation and assembly of
all necessary ingridients and equipment.

Forcemeat – A preparation made from uncooked ground meats, poultry, fish or shellfish,
seasoned, and emulsified with fat; commonly prepared as a country-style, basic and
mousseline and used for charcuterie items.

Pâté – Traditionally, a fine savory meat filling wrapped in pastry, baked and served hot
or cold; as opposed to terrine, which was coarsely ground and highly seasoned meat
mixture baked in an earthenware mold and served cold; today, the words Pâté and terrine
are generally used interchangeably. Pâte is French for “Dough.”

Galantine – Similar to a Ballotine; a charcuterie item made from a forcemeat of poultry,

game or suckling pig usually wrapped in the skin of the bird or animal and poached
in an appropriate stock; often served cold, usually aspic.

Palate - The palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and vertebrate animals. The palate
is divided into two parts, the anterior bony hard palate, and the posterior fleshy soft palate
or velum. The name is derived from the Latin palatum.

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Garde Manager – (1) Also known as the pantry chef, the cook in charge of cold food
production, including salads and salad dressings, charcuterie items, cold appetizers and
buffet items; (2) The work area where these foods are prepared.

Charcuterie – The production of pâtés, terrines, galantines, sausages, and similar foods.

Truffle – Truffle describes a group of edible subterranean mushrooms. The fruiting body
of truffles is highly prized as food. In 1825, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a French
lawyer and politician, called the truffle "the diamond of the kitchen" and praised its
aphrodisiac powers. While the aphrodisiac characteristics of truffles have not been
established, it is still held in high esteem in colloquial French and northern Italian
cooking, and in international cuisine as well.

Mandoline – A stainless steel, hand-operated slicing device with adjustable blades.

Aspic – A clear jelly usually made from a clarified stock thickened with gelatin; used to
coat foods, especially charcuterie items, and for garnish.

Proctor – A proctor is the name given to certain important university officials.

Critique – A critique is a systematic inquiry into the conditions and consequences of a

concept or set of concepts, and an attempt to understand its limitations.

Quenelle – A quenelle is a type of forcemeat, or ground meat patty, made with a delicate
white meat or fish and very lightly spiced, so that it is much more delicately flavored than
sausage, for instance. It is typically poached.

Shallot – Shallot as the word is commonly used, refers to two different species of plant.
The French Grey shallot or griselle, which has been considered to be the "true shallot" by
many, is a species which grows wild from Central to Southwest Asia. Shallots are
extensively cultivated and frequently used in cookery, in addition to being excellent when
pickled. Their flavor is more delicate than that of onions. Finely sliced deep-fried shallots
are used as a condiment in Asian cuisine. Shallots tend to be considerably more
expensive than onions, especially in the United States where they are almost exclusively
imported from France.

Sous-Chef – A cook who supervises food production and who reports to the executive
chef; he or she is second in command of the kitchen.

Risotto – (1) A cooking method for grains in which the grains are lightly sautéed in
butter and then liquid is gradually added; the mixture is simmered with near-constant
stirring until the still-firm grains merge with the cooking liquid; (2) A Northern Italian
rice dish prepared this way.

Legumes – (1) French for “Vegetables”; (2) A large group of vegetables with double-
seamed seed pods; depending upon the variety, the seeds, pod and seeds together, or the
dried seeds are eaten.

Texmati – Trade name for an aromatic rice hybrid of basmati and American long-grain
rice (which is a genetically modified patented variety that is creating great controversy),
both of which have a mild popcorn-like aroma and flavor. In Indonesia there are also red
and black varieties.

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Tomatillo – The tomatillo is a small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit
surrounded by a paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the
husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk is brown and the fruit yellowish when it is
ripe. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Latin American green sauces.
The freshness and greenness of the husk is a quality criterion. Fruit should be firm and
bright green as the green color and tart flavor are the main culinary contributions of the
fruit.

Caul Fat – A fatty membrane from pig or sheep intestines; it resembles fine netting and
is used to bard roasts and pâtés and to encase forcemeat for sausages.