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Vocabulary of French Cooking Terms Translated

Atelets, small silver skewers.

Assiettes, dishes with four compartments, for the use of the cook (old English).

Assiette volante, dish handed round.

Au naturel, plain.

Bain-marie, a water-bath.

Beignet, a fritter.

Blanc, a white broth.

Blanquette, a kind of fricassee (French only).

Braising, (a peculiar kind of stewing (long used in England, see page 55).

Boudin, a French dish, formed of expensive forcemeats, poached and broiled.

Bouilli, boiled fresh beef, peculiar to France.

Bouillon, broth.

Buisson, a high standing dish of pasty.

Casserole, a stewpan.

Casserole, a rice-crust.

Compôte, a mixture of fruits, also a white mixture or ragout of small birds or pigeons.

Compotice, lowest dish to hold the compôte.

Court bouillon, a preparation of wine, &c., in which fish is boiled.

Consommé, a strong gravy (clear).

Coulis, cullis, or rich brown gravy.

Gateau, cake.

Gras, made with meat.

Gratiner, to make crisp, to grill.

Liaison, a mixture of cream and egg to thicken white soup.

Maigre, without meat.

Marinade, a liquor prepared with vinegar for boiling fish, &c.

Matelote, a kind of stew of fish.

Meringue, a very light cake, made of sugar and white of egg beaten up.

Miroton, a meat dish (see Miroton).

Nouilles, a paste made of egg and flour.

Noix de veau, the part of the fillet of veal near the udder.

Panieres, dressed with bread-crumbs.

Passer, to fry lightly.

Pigné, larded on the surface only.

Poêlée, a liquor concocted to boil fowls in.

Pot-au-feu, an economical dish (page 81.); Potage, broth or soup.

Purée, meat, fish, &c., pounded and pressed through a purée presser and sieve to remove the lumps.

Quenelles, a kind of forcemeat.

Rissoles, small fried pastry, both savoury and sweet.

Croustade, a hollow crust of bread formed Ragout, a rich kind of stew or sauce with to hold minces, &c.

Croquettes, savoury minces.

Crouton, a sippet fried.

En papillotte, in paper (oiled).

En couronne, in the shape of a crown.

Emincé, minced.

Entrées, corner or side dishes served with the first courses.

Entremets, ditto, with the second and third courses.

Feuilletage. puff-paste.

Friture. frving-pan.

Farce. forcemeat.

Fricundeau, a stew of veal (see Fricandeau). sweetbreads, &c.

Roux, a thickening of flour or butter.

Salmi, a hash of half-dressed game.

Saute, fried in the French style (page 51).

Singer, to flour the stewpan.

Tamis, a strainer or sieve of woollen canvas.

Timbale, a pie made in a peculiar mould.

Tourte, a species of tart.

Vanner, to take up a sauce with a spoon in a peculiar manner.

Veloute, a rich sauce.

Vol-au-vent, a raised crust of ornamental puff paste.

After carefully examining the above list, which, I believe, comprehends nearly all the terms used in the French cuisine, it is ridiculous to attempt to maintain that, except in the arrangement of the letters, they have any thing peculiar. Their words are composed of different changes of the members of the alphabet, but they are nearly all represented in our tongue by corresponding ones as good as theirs; and it might be just as well maintained that a fine roasted Norfolk turkey is improved by giving it the name of dindon roti, as to allege that potage is better than soup, or a vol-au-vent more scientific than a patty. By all means adopt improvements, whether French, German, Italian, or Russian; but do not take the bad with the good; nor is it necessary