TERMS IN USE IN THE KITCHEN.
Atelets.—Small silver skewers.
Au naturel.—Plainly done.
Bain Marie.—A warm-water bath; to be purchased at the ironmonger’s.
Barber.—To cover with slices of lard.
Blanc.—A rich broth or gravy, in which the French cook palates, lamb’s head, and many other things. It is made thus: A pound of beef kidney fat, minced, put on with a sliced carrot, an onion stuck with two cloves, parsley, green onions, slices of lemon without the peel or seeds, or, if much is wanted, two pounds of fat and two lemons. When the fat is a good deal melted, put in water made briny with salt; and when done, keep the blanc for use.
Blanchir.—To blanch by giving some boils in water.
Bourguignote.—A ragoût of truffles.
Braise.—A manner of stewing meat which greatly improves the taste by preventing any sensible evaporation.
Braisière.—Braising-pan—a copper vessel tinned, deep and long, with two handles, the lid concave on the outside, that fire may be put in it.
Brider.—To truss up a fowl or anything else with a needle and pack-thread, or tape.
Buisson.—A method of piling up pastry to a point.
Bundle or Bunch.—Made with parsley and green onions,—when seasoned, bay leaves, two bunches of thyme, a bit of sweet basil, two cloves, and six leaves of mace are added.
Capilotade.—A common hash of poultry.
Cassis.—That part which is attached to the tail end of a loin of veal: in beef, the same part is called the rump.
Civet.—A hash of game or wild fowl.
Compiegne.—A French sweet yeast cake, with fruit, &c., &c.
Compote.—A fine mixed ragoût to garnish white poultry, &c.; also a method of stewing fruit for dessert.
Compotier.—A dish amongst the dessert service appropriated to the use of the compote.
Couronne (en).—To serve any prescribed articles on a dish in the form of a crown.
Court ou Short.—To reduce a sauce very thick.
Croustades.—Fried crusts of bread.
Cuisson.—The manner in which meat, vegetables, pastry, or sugar is dressed. It means also the broth or ragoût in which meat or fish has been dressed.
Cullis or Coulis.—The gravy or juice of meat. A strong consommé.
Dessert, entrée de.—Dish made of preceding day’s remains.
Dorer.—To brush pastry, &c., with yolk of egg well beaten.
Dorure.—Yolks of eggs well beaten.
Entre côte de Bœuf.—This is the portion of the animal which lies under the long ribs, or those thick slices of delicate meat which may be got from between them.
Entrées.—A name given to dishes served in the first course with the fish dishes.
Entremets—is the second course, which comes between the roast meat and the dessert.
Escalopes.—Small pieces of meat cut in the form of some kind of coin.
Fagot—is a bunch of parsley (the size varies of course), a bay leaf, and a sprig of thyme, tied up closely. When anything beyond this is required it is specified in the article.
Farce.—This word is used in speaking of chopped meat, fish, or herbs, with which poultry and other things are stuffed.
Feuilletage.—Puff-paste.
Filets Mignons.—Inside small fillets.
Financière.—An expensive, highly flavoured, mixed ragoût.
Glacer (to glaze).—To reduce a sauce by means of ebullition to a consistency equal to that of ice. Well made glaze adheres firmly to the meat.
Godiveau.—A common veal forcemeat.
Gras (au).—This signifies that the article specified is dressed with meat gravy.
Gratiner.—To crisp and obtain a grilled taste.
Grosses pièces de Fonds.—There are in cookery two very distinct kinds of grosses pièces: the first comprehends substantial pieces for removes, &c.; the other pièces montées, or ornaments; by pièces de fonds is implied all dishes in pastry that, form one entire dish, whether from its composition, or from its particular appearance; as for example cold pies, Savoy cakes, brioches, Babas, gâteaux de Compiègne, &c.; whilst the pièces montées, or ornamental pastries, are more numerous.
Hors d’œuvres.—Small dishes served with the first course.
Larding-pin.—An utensil by means of which meat, &c., is larded.
Lardoire (larder).—An instrument of wood or steel for larding meat.
Lardons.—The pieces into which bacon and other things are cut, for the purpose of larding meat, &c., &c.
To Lard is when you put the bacon through the meat. Things larded do not glaze well. Everything larded on the top or surface is called piqué.
Madeleines.—Cakes made of the same composition as pound-cakes.
Mariner.—Is said of meat or fish when put in oil or vinegar, with strong herbs, to preserve it.
Mark.—To prepare meat to be dressed in a stew-pan.
Mask.—To cover a dish with a ragoût or something of the sort.
Nourir—is to put in more ham, bacon, butter, &c.
Noix de Veau.—The leg of veal is divided into three distinct fleshy parts, besides the middle bone; the larger part, to which the udder is attached, is called the noix, the flat part under it sous noix, and the side part, contre noix, &c. The petites noix are in the side of the shoulder of veal.
Paillasse.—A grill over hot cinders.
Pain de beurre.—An ounce, or an ounce and a half of butter, made in the shape of a roll.
Panner.—To sprinkle meat or fish which is dressed on the gridiron with crumbs of bread dipped in butter and eggs.
Panures.—Everything that is rolled in, or stewed with bread crumbs.
Parer—is freeing the meat of nerves, skin, and all unnecessary fat.
Paupiettes.—Slices of meat, rather broad, to be rolled up.
Piqué—is to lard with a needle game, fowls, and other meats.
Poëlé.—Almost the same operation as braising, the only difference is, that what is poëlé must be underdone; whereas a braise must be done through.
Puit.—A well, or the void left in the middle, when anything is dished round as a crown.
A Purée of onions, turnips, mushrooms, &c., is a pulpy mash, or sauce of the vegetable specified, thinned with boiling cream or gravy.
Quenelles.—Meat minced or potted, as quenelles of meat, game, fowls, and fish.
Roux.—This is an indispensable article in cookery, and serves to thicken sauces; the brown is for sauces of the same colour, and the colour must be obtained by slow degrees, otherwise the flour will burn and give it a bitter taste, and the sauces become spotted with black.
Reduce.—To boil a soup down to a jelly, or till it becomes rich and thick.
Sabotière.—A pewter or tin vessel, in which are placed the moulds containing the substance to be frozen.
Sasser.—To stir and work a sauce with a spoon.
Sauce tournée and velouté are not the same, nor has the latter name been substituted by the moderns for the former. Sauce tournée is an unfinished sauce; it is of itself a basis for many other white sauces, but it is in no instance served alone as a sauce with any entrée or entremets. Velouté is served with hashes of chickens, veal, boudins à la reine, émincés, and entrées of quenelles, &c.
Sautez—is to mix or unite all the parts of a ragoût, by shaking it about.
Singez.—To dust flour from the dredging-box, which is afterwards to be moistened in order to be dressed.
Tamis (Tammy).—An instrument to strain broth and sauces.
Tendrons (veal)—are found near the extremity of the ribs.
Tourner.—To stir a sauce; also to pare and cut roots, vegetables, &c., neatly.
Tourte.—A puff-paste pie.
Vanner.—To work a sauce well up with a spoon, by lifting it up and letting it fall.