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Jambalaya is A Cajun and Creole dish that’s made up of rice, smoke sausage, cubed ham, aromatics, and pretty much any meat the cook likes or has available.
In spite of how it sounds, Jardiniere isn’t a French drug rehabilitation facility. Instead it’s a main course made up mostly of new spring vegetables such as lettuce, peas, green beans, carrots, turnips, and flavored with bacon or salt pork. It could also contain baby artichokes and young celery and fennel hearts, or cauliflower. Now doesn’t that sound more appetizing than a drug rehab? I thought so.
To Julienne something is to cut it into long thin matchstick size strips, such as French fries.
Jus is the natural juices released by roasting meats and poultry. Some sandwiches are served “Au Jus”, which means “with the meat juices”, it just sounds better in French.
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Posted on 30th September 2008
Under: Food Info, From The Cook, Odds & Ends, kitchen talk, terminology | Comments Off
I’ve gone and managed to be so occupied with other projects that I haven’t done anything here in a week. It’s also been quite a while since I did one of those posts that talk about cooking terminology so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and get back into some terminology.
Bouillabaisse, with it’s fancy French sounding name isn’t nearly as ultra fancy as it sounds since it’s really a Mediterranean seafood soup.
Bouillon is French for broth. Specifically the liquid that results from simmering meats, vegetables, and aromatic herbs and spices in water until all the nutritional value of the meat is cooked out into the water and the broth jells whenit cools.
Bouquet Garni Is one that I haven’t heard before. It’s A bundle of parsley stems, dried thyme, and a large bay leaf, tied together and left to float freely in broth, stock, or sauce.
To Braise something (usually meat) is to cook it in a small amount of liquid (This is also called stewing or pot roasting). Unlike poaching in which the food is submerged in simmering liquid, braised dishes use a smaller amount of liquid. Usually, the reason for braising is to concentrate the food’s flavors in the surrounding liquid so that it can be made into a sauce, or allowed to reduce so that it coats or is reabsorbed by the foods being braised.
To Bread something is to coat things that are going to be sauteed or deep fried with flour or a breadcrumb mixture to create a crust.
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Posted on 16th September 2008
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To Deep-fry something is To cook it completely submerged in hot oil. When something is Deep-fried at the proper temperature it will absorb comparatively little oil and turn out surprisingly light. If the oil is too hot, foods will brown too quickly and stay raw in the middle. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the foods will sit in the oil too long and absorb too much oil.
Deglaze means to add liquid to a pan in which foods have been sautéed or roasted in order to dissolve the caramelized juices stuck to the bottom of the pan. this is then used to make a quick sauce or gravy for a roast, steak, chop, or a piece of seafood fillet or steak.
Degrease means To remove the fat that forms on the tops of simmering broths, sauces, jus, and braising liquids.
A Demi-glace is A mixture of equal parts of brown stock and brown sauce that has been reduced by half.
To Dice something is to cut it into cubes that are roughly the same size as opposed to chopping, where food are cut into irregular pieces.
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Posted on 2nd August 2008
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I was going to do another one of the cooking terms posts but then I ran across something that made me decide that the term “Boil” deserved a bit broader treatment than as a one of many in a list of several items.
First I’ll start out defining the term. To boil is to cook something in water or other liquid that’s been heated until it’s bubbling vigorously.
The misconception is that anything being cooked in heated water is being boiled and that the more intense the boiling action, the better. However simmering and poaching are related to boiling and are actually used a lot more often.
What I’ve learned is that boiling is often a technique that is best avoided. Most foods, for example meat and seafood, are better poached instead. The reason is that boiling meat and seafood can leave them dry or stringy and the liquid will be left greasy.
Poaching is to cook in liquid where the temperature is held just below the boiling point so that it shimmers slightly on the surface.
On the other hand, there are some foods that are best cooked at a rolling boil. For example rice and pasta cook more quickly and evenly in boiling water. Green vegetables are often cooked uncovered in a large amount of boiling salted water. The large quantity of water keeps the vegetables from lowering the temperature of the water and slowing the cooking process. It would also cause them to lose their bright color.
The salt also helps the vegetables retain their green color. As soon as the vegetables are done you should immediately drain them in a colander and then either plunge them into ice water or quickly rinse them under cold tap water until they’re completely cool. This technique of immediately chilling the drained vegetables so they retain their flavor and color is called refreshing or shocking.
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Posted on 25th July 2008
Under: Food Info, Food Prep, From The Cook, Quick Tips, kitchen talk, terminology | Comments Off
Here’s a few more items for the terminology notebook. I’ve actually heard three of these quite a bit though I’ve never encountered the term Beurre Blanc before.
I think it’s safe to say that everybody’s familiar with Beat. It’s where you’re agitating a mixture with the two goals of 1) getting it to a smooth consistency and 2) getting as much air as possible into it.
A Béchamel sauce is a classic white sauce that’s made with whole milk thickened with a white roux, It’s often flavored with aromatic vegetables and frequently cheese is added to it also.
A Beurre Blanc is a rich butter sauce made by whisking butter into a reduction of white wine, white wine vinegar, and shallots, and sometimes finished with fresh herbs or other seasoning.
A Bisque is a soup that’s based on purees of vegetables and/or crustaceans. It’s usually thickened with rice and finished with cream.
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Posted on 14th July 2008
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Here’s a few more terms. Every time I go looking around for more of them to post, I run into things that I’ve heard before but never actually knew what they meant. One good example of that is Filé, which I remember hearing Justin Wilson talk about on his show a lot. And only recently did I finally find out what a Flan is. I seem to remember about a year or so ago, the word “Flan” was showing up all over the place.
Fettuccine is pasta that’s cut into 1/4 inch wide ribbon noodles.
Filé is Ground sassafras leaves. It’s used in Southern gumbo recipes to give them part of their distinct flavor.
Fines Herbes is a mixture of chervil, chives, parsley, and tarragon.
A very important flavoring in Thai cuisine is Fish sauce. it’s a Clear, amber colored liquid which is drained from salted, fermented fish.
To Flambé something is to ignite a sauce or other liquid so that it flames. In most cases, Flambéing serves no real function other than to look spectacular and impress your guests. It’s important to remember that it is impossible to flambé a cold dish by sprinkling it with spirits (alcohol of some kind, often Brandy) and trying to light it. The flammable fumes are only released when hot. Of course, you should also use caution when Flambéing and never attempt to pour or serve something that’s flaming.
A Flan is a liquid or semi liquid mixture which is bound together with whole eggs, egg whites, or egg yolks. It’s gently baked in a mold or pastry shell.
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Posted on 6th July 2008
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I really should do more of these posts about terminology because honestly, I frequently learn as much as I’m sharing when I do them. Some of the terms I’ve heard actually sound more like parts you might be ordering to restore used Harleys to factory condition. Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but the point is still legitimate. Like the old saying goes, the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know.
Batter is a mixture of flour and liquid along with eggs, and sometimes fats such as butter or lard. Batters are used to prepare cakes, muffins, pancakes, crepes, and quick breads. Other forms of batter are used to coat foods before they’re deep fried.
A Battuto is a combination of raw chopped vegetables for sauteing. Mixtures such as carrots, celery, onion and/or garlic, and parsley. It’s the base for many Italian sauces and other dishes.
A Creme Anglaise is a a Custard or vanilla sauce
Bavarian is a type of custard made by folding together whipped cream and a flavorful liquid mixture, usually a creme anglaise flavored with vanilla, coffee, chocolate, or a fruit puree.
Bearnaise is a warm, emulsified egg and butter sauce similar to hollandaise, with white wine, shallots, and tarragon added.
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Posted on 5th July 2008
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted any of these so here’s some more for food & kitchen terminology.
Aioli is a garlic mayonnaise that’s considered a delicious accompaniment to grilled vegetables, steamed or boiled artichokes, boiled potatoes, and grilled or baked fish and shellfish.
Cooking a la nage means to poach food, usually seafood, in a court bouillon and serving the court bouillon and the vegetables around the food as much for decoration as it is part of the dish.
Basmati is a long-grain rice from India that’s considered to be one of the most deliciously flavored varieties of rice.
A Baster is a large syringe used to baste meats with their own gravy, another liquid, or melted fat.
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Posted on 10th June 2008
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Albumen isn’t exactly a commonly used term that I’ve noticed, but it’s shown up once in a while in recipes written by cooks that I think are trying to make their recipes sound more exotic than they really are. Albumen is the white of an egg.
Al dente is one of those terms that you hear in Italian restaurants and anywhere pasta dishes are ordered by customers who want to show off a bit of knowledge. It’s one of those little things that can make Joe average sound like entrepreneurs even if they don’t have the luxury watches and hyper expensive suites. It refers to pasta that’s cooked until just enough resistance is left in it to be felt “by the tooth.”. This only applies to pasta that starts out dried because fresh pasta is too soft to be cooked al dente. The expression is also applied to vegetables that have been cooked crisp by steaming, boiling, or stir-frying.
Arborio is one you’ll run into in Risotto recipes. It’s the name of some of the best short-grained rices grown in the Po Valley of Italy.
Aromatics are plant ingredients, like herbs and spices. They’re used to enhance the flavor and fragrance of food.
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Posted on 27th May 2008
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Got some more for the food terminology section.
A Shallot is actually a member of the onion family. They look kind of like large cloves of garlic. They’re used to infuse savory type dishes with a mild onion flavor. They should be kept refrigerated for up to 1 week to maintain maximum flavor.
White chocolate, a favorite for many actually isn’t chocolate. It’s cocoabutter that’s been flavored with sugar and milk solids.
A Wok is a round-bottomed pan, usually made of rolled steel, that is used for virtually all Chinese cooking methods.
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Posted on 21st May 2008
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