By Leslie
I just watched Julie and Julia for the second time, which means I'm suddenly into all things French. Do you know the language? I don't, but sometimes I pretend.
Whenever I read a menu item that has a particularly french description I'll a.) ask the server about it b.) go home to google the terms later. Some are pretty commonplace. Like the term "prix fixe" for example. For others, I feel compelled to hit the internet.
Here are a few terms and their definitions, in case you're interested like I usually am. This is by NO means an exhaustive list. If it were, I'd just include a link to Mastering the Art of French Cooking. And I did, so there you go. This is simply a list of the terms I hear most often on menus, cooking shows/competitions, and daily reads. I've added some pronunciations when I could locate them and they seemed reliable.
(All definitions are directly from epicurious.com and merriam-webster.com)
A la Minute – cooked to order. French, in a minute
Amuse Bouche - a small complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants. French, entertains the mouth. Pronounced "uh-myuz-boosh"
Au Gratin - covered with bread crumbs or grated cheese and browned. French, with the burnt scrapings from the pan. Pronounced "oh-grah-TAN"
Au Jus - served in the juice obtained from roasting. French, with juice
Au Poivre - prepared or served with a generous amount of usually coarsely ground black pepper. French, with pepper
Bouillabaisse - a highly seasoned fish stew made with at least two kinds of fish.
Bourguignon - prepared or served in the manner of Burgundy (as with a sauce made with red wine.) French, from Bourgogne Burgundy
Beurre Blanc - a seasoned butter sauce (as for fish) flavored with white wine, shallots, and vinegar or lemon juice. French, white butter
Chef de Cuisine – head chef. French, head of kitchen
Chiffonade - thin strips or shreds of vegetables. French, made of rags
Confit - This specialty of Gascony, France, is derived from an ancient method of preserving meat (usually goose, duck or pork) whereby it is salted and slowly cooked in its own fat. The cooked meat is then packed into a crock or pot and covered with its cooking fat, which acts as a seal and preservative. Pronounced "kohn-FEE"
Coulis - a thick sauce made with pureed vegetable or fruit and often used as a garnish. French, from Old French coleïs, flowing
Demi Glace - a highly concentrated reduced brown sauce often used as a base for other sauces. French, half cooking stock, literally, half-ice
Foie Gras - the fatted liver of an animal and especially of a goose usually served as a pâté. French, fat liver. Pronounced “Fwah Grah”
Julienne - to slice into thin strips about the size of matchsticks.
Prix Fixe - a complete meal offered at a fixed price. French, fixed price. Pronounced “Pree Feeks”
Roux - a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a thickening agent in a soup or a sauce. French, from beurre roux brown butter. Pronounced "Roo"
Sommellier - a waiter in a restaurant who has charge of wines and their service, a wine steward. French, from Middle French soumelier official charged with transportation of supplies. Pronounced "sum-uhl-YAY"
Sous vide - a food-packaging technique pioneered in Europe whereby fresh ingredients are combined into various dishes, vacuum-packed in individual-portion pouches, cooked under a vacuum, then chilled. French, under vacuum. Pronounced “Soo veed” (I had to resist the urge to put a photo of Bryan Voltaggio here.)
Did I miss some that you hear all the tine? Also, if you're an expert on these things, feel free to make corrections where necessary.
As Julia would say, Bon Appetit! (boh nah-pay-TEE)
(photo credits - www.nytimes.com)
