Cigarette Smoking

Dictionary of Cooking Terms

(A-Z)

TLE 10 Cookery B

à la

French, literally, “prepared in the style of”.

à la King 

an American dish of diced foods, usually chicken or turkey, in a cream sauce with pimientos, mushrooms, green peppers and sometimes sherry.

à la Maréchale 

small cuts of meat and poultry which are breaded and fried in butter. Green asparagus tips and truffles are usual in the garnish.

à la Mode 

literally, “following the fashion”. In the United States, it is food that is served with ice cream; in France it names braised meat smothered in sauce.

à la Nicoise 

dishes with black olives, tomatoes, garlic, anchovies and dried cherries. Also, a candy of caramelized sugar and browned almonds.

à la Printanier 

to be cooked or garnished with fresh spring vegetables. Printemps is the French word for spring.

à la Provencale 

a dish including garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and often black olives.

Al dente

Food that is cooked until it is ‘firm to the bite’. This is most commonly used to describe how pasta should be cooked.

Au gratin

Recipes that are browned in the oven, or under a grill. Often refers to dishes that use a sauce and are topped with breadcrumbs and/or cheese.

B

Baste

To spoon juices over food that is being roasted or baked to prevent it from drying out and to glaze the surface – commonly meat, or baked fruit.

Bind

To add eggs, cream or liquid to a recipe to make the other ingredients hold together

Blanch

To plunge food (usually vegetables) into boiling water briefly. The food is then removed and placed into cold water to stop the cooking process. This is often to help loosen their skins or to par-cook prior to freezing.

Bouquet Garni

Herbs, usually parley, thyme and bay leaf tied together (or contained in a small muslin bag) added to soups and stews and removed before serving.

Braise

To cook slowly in a very small amount of liquid in a dish with a tightly sealed lid.

Cèpe 

a delicious mushroom.

Chambrer 

a...