Abaisse: Sheet of dough
Description: Dough rolled and stretched with a rolling pin, ready to be cut or shaped.
Abaisser la pâte: Roll out the dough
Description: Stretch the dough with a rolling pin to reach the desired thickness.
Abats: Offal
Description: Edible parts of animals (liver, heart, kidneys, etc.), used in cooking.
Abattis: Giblets
Description: Edible parts of poultry (wings, neck, feet) used for stocks and preparations.
Abricoter: Glaze
Description: Cover with a thin layer of jam or jelly to give a shiny appearance.
Aciduler: Acidify
Description: Add a touch of acidity to a preparation using lemon, vinegar, or citric acid.
Adoucir: Sweeten
Description: Reduce the acidity or bitterness of a dish, often by adding sugar or cream.
Affranchir: Heat fat
Description: A method of heating fat (butter or oil) until it becomes clear.
Aigre-doux: Sweet-and-sour
Description: A combination of sweet and acidic flavors, typical of many sauces and Asian dishes.
Aiguillette: Thin fillet
Description: Thin strips of meat, usually taken from the thigh or breast of poultry.
Aiguiser: Sharpen
Description: Sharpen knives or tools to improve their cutting ability.
Ail en chemise: Garlic in its skin
Description: Garlic cloves cooked or roasted without peeling to preserve their mild flavor.
Airelles: Lingonberries
Description: Small, tart berries used to accompany meats or in sweet sauces.
À la nappe: Coating consistency
Description: A technical term to describe a thick, creamy texture in sauces or creams.
À l'anglaise: English-style
Description: A cooking method in salted water, usually followed by browning or gratin.
Alcooliser: Alcoholize
Description: Add alcohol (wine, liqueur) to a preparation for flavor or aroma.
A manqué: High circular mold
Description: Mold used for cakes with higher-than-average edges.
Anglaise: Egg wash
Description: Beaten egg mixture with salt and pepper, used for coating foods before frying.
Aplatir: Flatten
Description: Flatten food (meat, dough) to make it thinner or more uniform.
Appareil: Base mixture
Description: Basic preparation used as the foundation for recipes (e.g., quiche batter).
Appertiser: Sterilize
Description: Preservation method by sterilizing in airtight containers.
Apprêter: Prepare
Description: Prepare ingredients or tools before cooking.
Araser: Level off
Description: Level or trim excess dough or ingredients to create an even surface.
Arômates: Aromatics
Description: Herbs or spices that add flavor to preparations.
Arômatiser: Aromatize
Description: Add aromatic ingredients to enhance flavor and aroma.
Arroser: Baste
Description: Moisten food with juice, sauce, or fat during cooking to maintain moisture.
A sec: Without added fat
Description: Cooking without fat, usually to toast or brown ingredients.
Aspic: Aspic
Description: Savory gelatin preparation containing meats, fish, or vegetables.
Assaisonner: Season
Description: Add salt, pepper, and other spices to enhance flavor.
Assouplir: Soften
Description: Make a dough or cream more pliable by working or heating it.
Soften
Make an ingredient or preparation more flexible by kneading or hitting it with a rolling pin.
Atriaux
Atriaux are pork rolls originating from the traditional kitchens of Romandy in Switzerland and Savoy. They are made with chopped and seasoned pork meat and offal, then wrapped in pork caul. They are pan-fried, and their juice is deglazed with white wine.
Attiéké
Cassava couscous, highly appreciated throughout Africa and Europe.
Ribboned
A preparation mounted with a whisk that is "ribboned" when it flows like a ribbon.
Amourettes
Spinal cord from slaughtered animals cooked in a broth (beef, veal, lamb) and then sautéed with garlic and parsley (amourettes is always used in the plural form).
Brush
Coat a dough, cake, or paper with beaten egg yolk using a brush.
Bain-marie
A container filled with boiling water in which another container holding a preparation is placed, which cannot go directly on the heat.
Bard
Bard is a thin slice of fresh fatback with which various cuts of meat or vegetables are wrapped to maintain their tenderness and prevent drying. The bard is held in place with string, which is usually removed after cooking, except for roasted game.
Bard
Wrap a meat, poultry, or roast with a thin slice of fatback.
Make a well
Create a mound of flour on a marble slab, board, or container, and in the center, make a round hole or "well" to pour in the ingredients needed to make a dough.
Beat
Work a preparation energetically with a whisk (or mixer).
Truss (French "faire le bateau")
Remove the piece of carcass from the back of the poultry. Remove the backbone. Split the boat (the breast of the poultry). Remove the ribcage with scissors. Obtain the boat: the two fillets remain attached to the breastbone. - Retain the wings, removing the tip and spur. - Tie the two wings and the top of the ribcage.
Bavarian
A cold dessert made from custard or fruit purée with added gelatin and whipped cream.
Béchamel
A sauce made from flour and whole milk.
Fritter
A savory or sweet preparation, coated with batter and cooked in a bath of oil.
Beatilles
A stew of offal and giblets with mushrooms, thickened with a sauce and used as a garnish for bouchées à la Reine or pies. Beatilles is always used in the plural form.
Clarified Butter
Butter that has been melted and decanted to remove the whey and casein. This process allows the butter to be used at higher temperatures without burning during cooking.
Maître d'Hôtel Butter
Soft butter mixed with chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Beurre Manié
Softened butter mixed with flour in equal amounts. Used for thickening sauces.
Beurre Meunière
Hazelnut butter with added lemon juice.
Foamy Butter
Completely melted butter that starts to form bubbles in the cooking vessel.
Hazelnut Butter
Butter cooked in a pan. As it boils, the butter takes on a hazelnut color. Use immediately.
Softened Butter
Butter at room temperature that becomes soft. It is worked until it reaches a consistency similar to a soft paste.
Butter a Pan
Coat the bottom and sides of a baking dish, mold, or tray with butter to help with adherence and release of the dish.
Bisque
Bisque (from the Occitan bisca, soup) is a traditional French soup recipe made from a smooth shellfish coulis.
White
A cooking technique (preparation): A mixture of flour and cold water added to boiling water with lemon, then strained. It is used for cooking artichoke bottoms, certain vegetables, and offal to preserve their white appearance and prevent oxidation.
Blanch
When foods are briefly cooked in boiling water and then immersed in ice-cold water for a short time, it is said to be blanched. Blanching can also refer to briefly cooking the food in steam and then plunging it into an ice water bath.
Blanching Eggs with Sugar
Whisk eggs with sugar until a white, frothy mixture forms.
Blanching Butter with Sugar
Description: Work softened butter with sugar until the mixture turns pale.
Blinis
Description: Small pancakes made with buckwheat flour.
Freezing
Description: Set a preparation by freezing it in very cold conditions.
Light Browning
Description: Sauté an ingredient lightly until it turns golden.
Bundling
Description: Bind or assemble into bundles.
Boisette
Description: A semi-rounded rubber tool used in pastry to create faux wood decorations on desserts.
Smoking
Description: A cooking method used in the Caribbean. Meat or fish "boucané" is prepared in brine or marinade and then cooked in wood smoke, slowly.
Boiling
Description: Bring a liquid to a boil and maintain it at that temperature to cook the foods submerged in it.
Broth
Description: Refers to both the method of boiling food in water and the clarified result of this cooking, a variation of stock.
Boulé (Cooking in)
Petit Boulé: Temperature 112 to 117°C - 37° Baumé
Use: Bomb mixture, parfait, frozen soufflé, candied chestnuts, Italian meringue.
Boulé: Temperature 118 to 120°C - 39° Baumé
Use: Soft fondants, soft caramels.
Gros Boulé: Temperature 125 to 130°C - 40° Baumé
Use: Hard fondant, melting almond paste, soft caramels.
Rolling into a Ball
Description: Roll dough into a ball using the palm of your hand.
Bouquet Garni
Description: A bundle of thyme, bay leaves, celery, leek greens, and other aromatic herbs tied together to flavor a dish.
Braising
Description: Slow cooking of a vegetable in fat, covered, and without adding water.
Breastbone
Description: The Y-shaped central bone of the sternum in poultry and birds.
Trussing
Description: Tie up poultry before cooking. Close a stuffed poultry using a needle and kitchen twine.
Brushing
Description: Clean excess flour or sugar from a rolled-out dough with a soft brush or by rubbing with your hands. Clean vegetables with a hard-bristled brush.
Brunoise
Description: Vegetables cut into small cubes of 1 to 2 mm.
Shrimp Bouquet
Description: A way of presenting shrimp in a pyramid shape, beneath the shell, with a very bitter taste.