Ever wonder what that French term meant when it came to your food? Well, here’s a handy guide of common terms!
| Term |
|---|
| Bouchon: (boo - shawn) The french word for cork indicating that the cooked product should resemble a cork. |
| Brioche: (bree - o - sh) A very traditional french bread dough which dates back to pre revolution France. In Brioche is a yeasted dough using high amounts of milk, egg and butter. This is why the dough is slightly yellow in color and the flavor is more rich and buttery than that of regular non- "enriched" breads. |
| Chaud: (shode) The french word for hot, meaning heat not spice. |
| Chevre: (shev) The french word for goat. |
| Chutney: (chutt - knee) A tangy condiment we base with peaches and cook down with ginger, lime, garlic tomatoes and spices. |
| Cornichon: (corn - ish - on) Tiny, crisp pickles. |
| Croissant “pur beurre” A basic tender dough that is layered with butter. “Pur beurre” = only butter. Most places use margarine, shortening or a combination of butter with the faux fats. Belle Epicurean is proud to deliver a 100% butter croissant. Traditionally, the all butter, or 'pur beurre' croissant are kept straight prior to baking. The curved croissants are the croissants which are made using the faux fats. This practice of using a curved vs. a straight croissant to depict the butter content is not widely used in the United States. However, it is practically law in Paris. |
| Curd: Fruit juice thickened with eggs and butter. |
| Duxelle: (ducks - ell) Mushrooms cut in a fine dice and cooked with shallots, thyme and garlic. |
| Feuillette: (foy - yet) Feuille meaning leaves. Feuillette depicts the "leaves" created in the dough during the baking. |
| Fleur de Sel: (flur - duh - sell) Literally translated as Flower of the Salt. This is a sea salt that has been delicately scraped not ground … it is a softer tasting salt, almost less salty in taste. |
| Framboise: (fram - bwaz) A raspberry flavored liquor. |
| Frangelico: (fran - jell - ico) A hazelnut flavored liquor. |
| Frangipane: (fran -ji-pan) A nut paste used for baking fillings and spreads. We make our own to customize the flavor profile of our rolls, tarts and morning pastries. |
| Fromage: (from - ojsh) The french word for cheese. |
| Ganache: (gon - osh) A chocolate mixture with butter and cream often times containing liquor. |
| Gremolata Pesto: An herb paste with parsley, garlic, fresh orange zest and olive oil. |
| Pastry Cream: A sweet filling actually made with milk, not cream. Traditionally made with vanilla. |
| Jambon: (jam - bon) The french word for ham. |
| Meringue: (mer - ang) There are various forms of meringue. We use an "Italian Meringue". This is whipped egg whites that are cooked with a sugar syrup. |
| Mornay: A classic derivative of the "Mother Sauce" Bechamel. Mornay has cheese, herbs and eggs. |
| Mousseline: A traditional shape given to bread, specifically brioche, when baked in a cylidar. |
| Noisette: (nwaw - zett) The french word for nut. Primarly indicating hazelnuts. |
| "Pain au": (pan - aw) The french term for 'bread of '…? Example: pain au chocolate = chocolate bread. |
| Piperade: (pipe - er - odd) Slow cooked sweet bell peppers with tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs. The flavors are concentrated and mildly sweet. |
| Proofing: The act of rising a yeast dough in the optimum temperature and humidity environment for yeast to "grow" or rise. Ideally, Belle Epicurean likes to proof the doughs using a temperature of 80 to 85 degrees. Anything below 75 degrees will proof slow. Anything above 85 will melt the butter in the laminated doughs. |
| Puff Pastry: A non yeasted dough that is rolled out very thin and layered with butter. Traditionally, this dough has upwards of 1000 layers of butter in the dough. These layers create steam which give the dough a crisp, tender rise during cooking. |
| "pur beurre": (pure bure) Literally means, "all butter". Typically used in reference to all butter pastry products. |
| Quiche: (key - sh) A custard based filling mixed with assorted meats, cheeses or vegetables. Baked in a pastry crust. Can be served hot or cold. |
| Quinoa: (key-n-wah) A healthy building grain that is a complete protien (which means that it has all 9 amino acids.) It has a nutty / hearty flavor which lends itself well to acidic vinaigrettes and fresh herbs for balance. |
| Sacristan: Puff pastry which is rolled out with various toppings … cheese, herbs, sea salt … etc, and twisted. |
| Saucisson Sec: (saw - see - sawn seck) The french word for dry salami. Also the name of the very traditional street sandwich named for the salami. |
| Timbale: (tim -ball) The cylindrical shape used for prepared foods which are placed inside and the mold removed. |
