French Cooking Terms

Here is a list of French cooking terms, for those who are interested in venturing into more gourmet cooking.

Bain-marie A roasting pan or baking dish partially filled with water to allow food to cook more slowly and be protected from direct high heat. Used for custards and terrines.
Bavarois Creamy pudding that is made with cream and eggs, then set with gelatin.
Beignets Fritters.Small dollops of dough that are fried.
Beurre Manié Butter and flour mixed together in equal parts and used to thicken liquids.
Beurre Noisette Browned butter.
Bisque A shellfish soup that has been thickened.
Blanquette A stew made from meat that has not been browned or fried. Usually refers to stews made of lamb, chicken or veal.
Bouchées Small puff pastry cases.
Bouillon Broth or stock.
Bouquet Garni A mixture of fresh herbs tied together with string and used to flavor stews, soups etc. It refers to a mix of parsley, bay leaf, thyme (and sometimes celery stalk). The bouquet is removed before serving.
Brunoise Vegetables cut into very small diced pieces.
Canapé An appetizer consisting of a small bread or biscuit base covered with a flavored topping. Chapelux Browned bread crumbs.
Chine To remove the backbone from a rack of ribs.
Concasser To chop roughly
Consommé Broth that has been made clear.
Coulis A thick sauce usually made from one main ingredient, such as raspberry coulis.
Court Bouillon Flavored liquid used for cooking fish.
Crêpes Very thin pancakes.
Croquettes A mixture of potato with ground cooked meat, fish or poultry formed into balls, patties or other shapes and coated with a breading before frying.
Croustade Bread piece dipped in butter and baked until it is crisp.
Croûte Crust Sometimes refers to a pastry crust, sometimes to toasted or fried bread.
Croûtons Small cubes of bread used as a garnish is salads and soups. DarioleSmall mould shaped like a castle used for moulding salads or baking cakes.
Déglacer To deglaze, to loosen browned juices and fat from the bottom of a frying pan or saucepan by adding liquid, bringing to a boil and stirring. The liquid is usually water, wine or broth.
Dégorger To extract juices from meat, fish or vegetables, usually by salting them, then soaking or washing. It is usually done to remove a strong taste.
Dépouiller To skim off the scum that accumulates at the top of a stock or sauce.
Duxelles Finely chopped raw mushrooms, used as a stuffing. Sometimes combined with chopped ham or scallops.
Entrecôte Sirloin steak.
Entrée The term used to refer to something served before the main course but is used now to refer to the actual main course.
Entremet Dessert or sweet, but not including pastries.
Escalop A thin slice of meat that is often pounded out to make it thinner.
Farce Stuffing.
Flamber or Flambé To set alcohol on fire.
Frappé Something that is iced or set on or in a bed of ice.
Fricassé A stew made from poultry, meat or rabbit that has a white sauce.

Glace de Viande Reduced brown stock used to add color and flavor to sauces.
Gratiner or Au Gratin To sprinkle the surface of a cooked food with bread crumbs and butter, and sometimes cheese and brown under the broiler. The finished food is referred to as au gratin as in au gratin potatoes.
Hors d'Oeuvre First course or appetizer.
Jus or Jus de Viande The juices that occur naturally from cooking.
Jus Lié A thickened gravy.
Liaison Ingredients used for thickening sauces, soups or other liquids.
Macédoine Small diced mixed vegetables, usually containing at least one root vegetable. Sometimes also means a mixture of fruit, like fruit salad.
Marmite French word for a covered earthenware container for soup. The soup is both cooked and served in it.
Mirepoix A mixture of braising vegetables.
Mortifier To hand meat, game or poultry.
Moulè-â-manqué A cake tin that is wider at the base than at the top and only about 1" in depth.
Napper To coat, mask or cover with something.
Noisette The word literally means "nut". It usually means nut brown in color. For example, beurre noisette is butter browned over heat until it becomes a nut brown color. It can also refer to boneless rack of lamb that is rolled, tied and cut into rounds. The word can also refer to hazelnuts.
Nouvelle Cuisine A term that refers to the style of cooking that features lighter dishes with lighter sauces and very fresh ingredients.
Panade A very thick mixture, usually made from a combination of flour, butter and milk, that is used as a base for dishes such as soufflés and fish cakes.
Paner To coat with egg and crumbs before frying.
Papillote A wrapping of parchment paper around fish or meat used for cooking. The paper retains moisture in the food.
Parisienne Refers to potatoes molded into balls with a melon scoop and fried or roasted.
Pâte A basic mixture or paste. Often refers to uncooked dough or pastry.
Pâté A paste made of liver, pork or game. PâtisserieA sweet or pastry, it also refers to a cake shop.
Piquer To insert fat, bacon, ham etc into meat or poultry.
Poussin A young chicken.
Quenelle Minced fish or meat mixture that is formed into small shapes and poached. It also refers to a shape that the minced mixture is made into.
Ragoût A stew
Réchauffée Reheated food.
Repere Flour mixed with water or egg white and used to seal pans when cooking food slowly. Often used when cooking a ragoût.
Revenir To quickly fry meats or vegetables in hot fat to warm them through.
Roux Melted butter to which flour has been added. Used as a thickener for sauces or soups.
Rouille Garlic and oil emulsion used as flavoring.
Sautoir A deep frying pan with a lid, used for recipes that require fast frying, then slow cooking.
Terrine Pâté or mixture of minced ingredients, baked or steamed in a loaf shaped container.
Timbale A dish cooked in a mould that is higher than it is wide and has sloping sides.
Velouté A type of sauce made from butter, flour, cream and stock.
Vol-au-vent A large pastry case made of puff pastry that is usually used as a container for creamed dishes, such as creamed chicken.