Sometimes, the only thing standing between you and a fantastic entrée from a fantastic restaurant is an unfamiliar word.
We’ve all been stumped from time to time at the sight of a term such as “mire poix,” “emulsion,” “gravlax” or “ghee.”
But worry no longer. With this handy-dandy guide, you can be prepared to understand any word you – or a member of your paty – see on a menu.
- anglaise: a flavored emulsion cooked over a double boiler with egg yolks (chocolate “blackout” cake with root beer anglaise, Bel Lago)
- arrabbiata: a spicy Italian sauce of tomatoes, garlic and red chili peppers cooked in olive oil
- au poivre: a steak preparation that entails coating filet mignon with loosely cracked peppercorns before cooking
- béchamel: white sauce made with a roux of butter and flour cooked in milk
- beurre blanc: white wine butter sauce (scallop Wellington with foie gras beurre blanc, DeepWood Restaurant)
- biryani: mixed rice dish often used in Indian food
- Bordelaise: French sauce made with dry red wine, bone marrow, butter, shallots and demi-glace (grilled beef shoulder tenderloin with three garlic Bordelaise, The Refectory)
- boudin: a catch-all term for a variety of sausages used in different types of cuisine, including French, German and Cajun
- brunoise: a method of slicing food, usually vegetables, into approximately 1/8-inch cubes (18 hour octopus with brunoise of mirepoix, Bel Lago)
- budino: an Italian custard similar to crème brûlée that is whisked and strained after cooking to thicken it beyond what is typical for crème brûlée (chocolate budino, Bel Lago)
“By whisking it, you break the bonds (that form the custard), and by breaking the bonds, you create an environment that forms a thicker structure.” –Owen Maass, executive chef, Bel Lago
- cacio e pepe: pasta in butter sauce with cheese (Bel Lago)
- canelé: French pastry with a soft custard center and thick caramelized crust
- chiffonade: chopped, as in herbs or leafy vegetables, into long, thin stripes
- choron: a sauce made from adding tomato paste to béarnaise (Australia cold water lobster tail w
- ith choron sauce, Final Cut Steakhouse at Hollywood Casino)
- coulis: thick sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits (sashimi tuna with English pea coulis, The Refectory)
- crème fraiche: cream cultured by lemon juice (seared scallop with crème fraiche, Bel Lago)
- dashi: a Japanese broth of dried bonito (tuna flakes) and kombu (seaweed) (miso marinated black cod with beet dashi, DeepWood Restaurant)
- demi-glace: sauce made of a mixture of brown sauce and brown stock
- duxelle: reduction of minced mushrooms slowly cooked with butter and shallots (beef Wellington with mushroom duxelle, Final Cut Steakhouse at Hollywood Casino)
- emulsion: a mixture of two substances that don’t usually combine, such as mustard and garlic, via an emulsifying agent, such as xantham gum (ssea bass with English pea emulsion, Final Cut Steakhouse at Hollywood Casino)
- escabeche: Spanish seared and pickled fish (shrimp escabeche, Worthington Inn)
- gastrique: a flavored reduction of vinegar and sugar (broiled 8 oz. filet with balsamic-port gastrique, G. Michael’s Bistro)
- gelée: a jellied substance (strawberry sundae with strawberry gelee, DeepWood Restaurant)
- ghee: clarified butter often used in Indian cuisine
- gravlax: Scandinavian dish of salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill (Three Cones with salmon gravlax, The Refectory)
- grissini: a thin Italian breadstick (rabbit porchetta with anise grissini, DeepWood Restaurant)
- gulab jamun: A milk solids-based dessert similar to a dumpling (Aab India)
- haricots vert: French for “green beans”
- harissa: north African hot red pepper paste
- Hunan: spicy Chinese preparation that emphasizes garlic and vegetables; the term refers to a northern province of China
- jus: juice derived from meat (beef tenderloin with mushroom and bone marrow jus, DeepWood Restaurant)
“It’s just another word for sauce derived from the bones of whatever animal you’re talking about.” –Brian Pawlak, chef, DeepWood Restaurant
- ka-thong tong: minced coconut chicken served in a deep-fried rice cup (Chi Thai Restaurant)
- kani: imitation crab sticks used in salads or sushi (spicy crab salad with kani, Kogen’s Far East Fare)
- kopanisti: Greek feta cheese spread (kopanisti fire feta, The Big Fat Greek Kuzina)
- macerated: softened by soaking in a liquid, as in fruit or vegetables
- mala: spicy; derived from “la,” which means “spicy,” and “ma,” which means “numb” (mala string beans, Chi Thai Restaurant)
“It’s so spicy that you numb your tongue.” –Steven Yee, owner, Chi Thai Restaurant
- mirepoix: a basic mix of chopped carrots, celery and onions (18 hour octopus with brunoise of mirepoix, Bel Lago)
“A mirepoix is your basic foundation of everything from a sauce standpoint.” –Rich Rores, owner, Bel Lago
- moo shu: served with a tortilla-like wrap
“It’s like a burrito. We cook the dish with the ingredients, and then we add plum sauce and it’s served on a pancake.” –Steven Yee, owner, Chi Thai Restaurant
- omakase: an order often made at sushi restaurants that translates to “I’ll leave it to you” in Japanese, indicating trust in the chef’s choices
- pakora: Indian vegetable fritter
- pancetta: Italian bacon made from pork belly meat
- panna cotta: Italian dessert of cream fortified with flavoring (strawberry sundae with vanilla panna cotta, DeepWood Restaurant)
- pavé: shaped like a stepping stone (beef tenderloin with potato pavé, DeepWood Restaurant)
“It’s lined up like a paver, and (the chefs) build a tower out of it.” –Brian Pawlak, chef, DeepWood Restaurant
- ragout: a thick, well-seasoned French stew of meat and, sometimes, vegetables (foie with black lentil ragout, M at Miranova)
- roux: a thickening agent made by cooking wheat flour and fat
- saba: a syrup made from grape must (prosciutto pizza with saba, Rigsby’s Kitchen)
- sabayone: a flavored emulsion cooked over a double boiler with egg yolks and wine (braised summer plum with grapefruit sabayone, Bel Lago)
- samosa: Indian fried or baked pastry with savory filling
- semifreddo: lightly or semi-frozen, as in ice cream (chocolate “blackout” cake with chocolate semifreddo, Bel Lago)
- skordalia: a thick Greek sauce of garlic and a bulky base such as potatoes, walnuts or almonds (roasted beets with skordalia, Rigsby’s Kitchen)
- Soubise: a cream sauce of sautéed and puréed onions in béchamel (sautéed sea scallops with onion soubise, The Refectory)
- Szechuan: spicy Chinese preparation, heavy on multiple kinds of peppers as well as garlic; like Hunan, Szechuan refers to one of China’s northern provinces
“People who live in cold areas tend to have heavier tastes.” –Steven Yee, owner, Chi Thai Restaurant
- tahini: sauce made of ground, hulled sesame seeds
- terrine: a French chopped loaf of meat, fish or vegetables served cold
- timbale: a batter shell fried in a mold shaped like a drum; the term comes from a Cuban percussion instrument (classic French timbale “en gelee,” The Refectory)
- tom yum: clear lemongrass broth of Thai origin (tom yum soup, Chi Thai Restaurant)
- tournedos: round pieces of beef cut from the end of a beef tenderloin
- velouté: a soup or sauce made with chicken, fish or veal stock and cream, thickened with butter and flour (Floating Garden with heirloom tomato and red pepper velouté, The Refectory)
- wakame: edible seaweed often used in sushi (poke tuna with wakame, Worthington Inn)
- wor su gai: Chinese dish of deep-fried chicken with gravy and almonds
- yum talay: seafood salad with lemongrass flavor
Garth Bishop is editor of CityScene Magazine. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
