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Culinary terms

Mise en place

Basic preparation in the kitchen before service starts, e.g., chopping onions, peeling carrots, weighing ingredients etc

Egg wash

Beaten egg, sometimes with a little milk or water. Used to glaze foods, before cooking, e.g., glazing pasties and sausage rolls before baking.

Baking blind

To cook pastry without any filling. Usually the pastry shell is lined with paper and baking beans. Once the pastry is cooked, the filling is added, e.g., the pastry base for a quiche.

Dice

To cut foods, often vegetables, into neat squares, e.g., onions, carrots etc.

Sauté

To toss foods in hot fat, usually to quickly fry foods in a frying pan, e.g., sauté potatoes

En croute

To wrap foods in pastry, e.g., sausage rolls, beef Wellington

Garnish

A trimming added to a

savoury dish, to improve the presentation, e.g., a tomato crown with cold meats.

Creamy cannellini bean soup with crispy bacon garnish.

Delicious short ribs with a stunning garnish of pickled lotus root chips.

Decorate

Trimming added to a

sweet dish, to improve the presentation, e.g., a strawberry slice on top of a cupcake

Al dente

An Italian term used to describe the degree of cooking for vegetables or pasta, meaning “just done”.

It means to the bite, or literally means to the tooth

A la carte

Dishes from a menu that are prepared to order and priced individually

Au gratin

To cover with breadcrumbs and / or grated cheese and to grill until brown, e.g., macaroni cheese

Coulis

A sauce that is thickened by its main ingredient (vegetable or fruit) and served as a puree, e.g., raspberry coulis

Chocolate Torte with Ganache and Raspberry Coulis

Cream of potato with pepper coulis

Canapé

A bite sized savoury start to a meal, often presented on a small slice of bread or in a pastry case

Bain Marie

A vessel (such a as saucepan) half filled with water which sauces and other delicate dishes are cooked or kept warm without burning, e.g., melted chocolate.

Croquette

Cooked foods (often potato) moulded into a cylinder, dipped into flour, egg and breadcrumbs and deep fried.

Marinade

Ingredients (often liquid such as oil and vinegar, and spices etc) that food is placed in before cooking to add or improve the flavour. It often also tenderises the meat. Often used in Indian cookery and for barbeques.

La brochette

On a skewer, e.g., kebabs.

Bouquet garni

A bundle of herbs, such as bay leaf, parsley, thyme wrapped in a leek skin, or muslin cloth. This is used to flavour soup, casseroles etc, but is removed before serving.

Croutons

Cubes of bread, fried or toasted served with soups or in salads.

Crepes

Thin French-style pancakes.

Canapés

A bite sized savoury start to a meal, often presented on a small slice of bread pastry case.

Flambé

A dish containing spirits (alcohol). This alcohol is set alight either during the cooking process or just before serving , e.g., Christmas pudding.

Gateau

A cake (usually an upmarket one) of more than one portion.

Hors D’oeurve

first course dishes

Roux

A thickening of flour and fat of equal proportions, e.g., as the basis of a béchamel sauce.

Table d'hôte

A meal at a fixed price (a set menu).

Brulee

Melted and caramelised sugar on top of a dessert, e.g.., crème brulee

Puree

A preparation obtained by mashing / sieving certain foods, e.g.., a pureed vegetable soup, a fruit coulis

Julienne

A method of cutting long strips of ingredients, usually vegetables such as carrots.

Menu

A list of dishes available to order from a restaurant.

Reduce

To concentrate a liquid by boiling. It is reduced by at least half.

Accompaniments

Foods offered separately with a meal, e.g.. garlic bread, fries.

Vol au vent

A puff pastry case, usually with a savoury filling in the centre (very 80’s).

Patisserie

Means the art of the pastry cook, or foods made from pastry

Entree

The main course on a menu.