Today we are going to continue with some cooking terms. Last time we talked about methods of cooking, etc., but today we will use some words associated with cooking and eating. Again, you may know these, but perhaps you can share them with less experienced cooks. And so we start—
Alfresco or al fresco: To dine alfresco is to eat out of doors but in a refined style involving linens, china, etc., and can be on a patio or under the trees, not the porch. It is far removed from having a hot dog in a paper napkin and drinking from a soft drink bottle.
Cocktail: Although we often think of the word as meaning a beverage, it is an appetizer that is served before the meal and usually in a room other then the dining room. Cocktail food is usually in small, bite-sized pieces. It can also be a beverage.
Canapé: Pronounced CAN-a-pay, it is a cracker or a thin slice of toasted bread on which is placed a piece of highly flavored food such as cheese, shrimp, fish, etc., and is served as a cocktail or an appetizer before the main meal.
Demitasse: This can mean the small cup, about half the size of a normal cup, in which coffee is served after the evening meal. It can also mean the serving itself, such as, “The meal included demitasse.”
Mornay: A dressed-up white sauce to which cheese, egg, heavy cream, etc., is added. One of my favorite dishes is Eggs Mornay, which I shared with you a couple of years ago.
Hollandaise: A sauce of beaten eggs, butter and lemon juice, most often used over vegetables or over Eggs Benedict.
Soufflé: Pronounced sou-FLAY, it is a light, spongy dish, most often cheese soufflé, made fluffy by the addition of beaten egg whites. Soufflés must be served immediately or they will fall flat instead of being light and fluffy.
Tortilla: A thin, flat bread made of either flour or corn meal and used with many Mexican dishes.
Hors d’oeuvre: A French word meaning the light food served before a meal; usually consists of olives, celery, etc., but can include canapés and other light food. Sometimes an invitation will read “heavy hors d’oeuvres,” which means the food will be more substantial but not a meal.
Crepes: Very thin pancakes for a luncheon dish or dessert usually served with a filling of either chicken or fruit, folded, and covered with a sauce.
Florentine: If a dish has this word in it, it means that it includes spinach.
Bouquet garni: A mixture of several small dried or fresh herbs tied in a cheesecloth and added to the pot while food is cooking. The bouquet garni is removed before the food is served.
Croutons: Pieces of bread which have been cut into cubes and toasted or fried and served in soups or on salads.
Frappé: Pronounced fra-PAY, this can refer to fruit juice or coffee, etc., sweetened and either frozen or whipped with ice to a thick, frosty consistency.
Charlotte: A dessert held in shape with gelatin and served in a glass bowl lined with lady fingers or cake strips.
Parfait: A dessert, usually ice cream and fruit, layered in the tall, slender glasses of the same name specifically for this dessert.
Puff pastry: A buttery rich pastry used for patty shells or baked and filled with a rich cream.
Try a new recipe this weekend so that the meal at your house will always be an adventure when you have … Sunday Dinner.