French Culinary Terms

Voilà- a list of common French foodie terms used on this site. If I've missed one you'd like to see listed here, please leave a message in comments.

à la Meunière: 
A classic French preparation for cooking fish- first floured, then sautéed in butter, and served with brown butter, lemon juice and parsley.

Aioli: 
A Mediterranean sauce made of garlic, eggs, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and lemon served as an accompaniment to vegetables, fish, and chips.

Bain-marie
A roasting pan filled partially with hot water in which a porcelain or glass cooking dish is placed for slow cooking. Used for crème brulées, flans, cheesecakes, other custards, and terrines.

Bavarois
A Bavarian cream consisting of milk thickened with eggs and gelatin.

Béchamel
A classic French white sauce made with milk, flour  a roux (melted butter with flour), and flavored with bay leaves, nutmeg and ground pepper. Used to thicken soups, the base for other sauces for meats and fish, with lasagnas or other baked pasta dishes.

Beignets
A fritter made with dep-fried "chou" pastry.

Beurre Manié
Soft butter and flour mixed together in equal parts and used to thicken soups and sauces.

Beurre Noisette
Browned butter.

Bisque
A creamy soup based on a strained broth from crustaceans – typically lobster, crab, or shrimp.

Blanch
To place a fruit or vegetable in boiling water for a few minutes to tenderize or so the skin can be removed more easily.

Blanquette
A stew made from white meat (veal) in a white sauce.

Bouchées
A small puff pastry filled with a sweet or savory filling.

Bouillon
Broth or stock.

Bouquet Garni
A mixture of thyme and bay leaf tied together with string to flavor stews, soups, and daubes.

Brunoise
A very small knife cut (1/8-1/16") where the item is julienned, and then diced again.

Canapé
A type of hors d'oeuvre prepared by placing savory ingredients on a small piece of a small bread, puff pastry, or cracker.

Charcuterie
Cured meats (bacon, ham, sausage), terrrines, and patés.

Chapelure
Bread crumbs.

Chiffonade
A slicing technique when herbs (like basil), lettuces and leafy greens are cut into slender ribbons.

Chou Pastry
A light pastry dough used to make profiteroles, eclairs, beignets, dumplings, Parisian gnocci, and churros.

Compote
Fruit stewed in sugar. (think apple sauce)

Concassé
Roughly chopped.

Confit
When duck or other meats are cooked in their own fat.

Consommé
A clear soup made from richly flavored clarified stock.

Coulis
A thick sauce usually made from strained fruits or vegetables.

Croûte
Crust.

Dariole
Small mould shaped like a castle used for moulding salads or baking cakes.

Déglacer/demi-glace
To deglaze by loosening browned juices and fat from the bottom of a frying pan or saucepan by adding water, wine, or broth.

En Croute
Food twrapped in dough, and then baked.

En Papillote
Food cooked into a folded pouch of parchment paper.

Fines Herbes
A mix of finely diced parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil.

Escalop
A thin slice of meat that is often pounded out to make it thinner.

Farcie
Stuffing.

Fricassée
A stew made from cut up, sautéed, and braised poultry, meat or rabbit with a thick white sauce.

Ganache
A rich chocolate mixture made by combining chocolate and cream, used as a filling or icing.

Glace de Viande
Reduced brown stock used to add color and flavor to sauces.

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.

Julienne
When food is cut into slender, matchstick pieces.

Macédoine
Small diced mixed vegetables, usually containing at least one root vegetable.

Mijoter 
Small diced mixed vegetables, usually containing at least one root vegetable.


Mirepoix
A mixture of diced vegeatbles (onions, carrots, and celery) cooked over a gentle heat for a long time without browning. Used in stocks, soups, stews, and sauces.

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.

Paner
To coat with egg and crumbs before frying.

Pâte
Dough, pastry or pasta.

Pâté
A spread made of puréed or finely chopped liver, pork, fish or game.

PersilladeA mixture of chopped shallots, garlic and parsley, sometimes with the addition of breadcrumbs. Used as a garnish for fish and used in fish soups.

Roux
Melted butter to which flour has been added. Used as a thickener for sauces or soups.

Rouille
A Provençal sauce made from pounded red chillies, garlic, breadcrumbs, and blended with stock.

Terrine
A prepared meat, fish, or vegeatable dish that sets in its container.

Velouté
A "velvety" soup or a light sauce made from a light stock thickened with roux.

Vol-au-vent
A round, hollowed out case made from puff pastry and stuffed with a savory mixture in a rich sauce.