| Term | Definition
|
|---|
| a la mode | A French term meaning "in the mode of", describing
how a dish is prepared. Americanized to mean
ice cream with your pie.
|
| acini de pepe | Italian for "peppercorns", these are tiny peppercorn-shaped pasta.
|
| Albumen | Egg whites.
|
| alfredo | A rich sauce of butter, cream, grated parmesean cheese and black pepper most commonly served over fettuccine.
|
| Ancho chile | Dried poblano chile. Deep reddish brown color,
3 to 4 inches long. Considered the sweetest of
dried chiles.
|
| Angelica | A sweet herb grown in Europe. Member of the
parsley family, with pale green stalks.
|
| Arroz | Spanish word for rice. Arroz con pollo, for
example, is a dish made with rice and chicken.
|
| Arugula | A bitter and aromatic salad green. Good source
of iron and vitamins A and C.
|
| au lait | A French term meaning "with milk."
|
| Aurore sauce | A pink sauce made by combining bechamel (white)
sauce with tomato puree.
|
| Bagoong | An Asian fish sauce from the Philippines. It is
a salty liquid from salted, cured, and fermented
fish or shrimp. Used to flavor many Asian dishes.
|
| baste | To brush food as it cooks with butter, meat
drippings, or stock. Basting keeps baked or
roasted foods moist.
|
| beard to tail | For crustaceans such as shrimp or lobster, once the head and body have been removed what is left is cut "beard to tail" or top to bottom on the underside to extract the meat.
|
| bechamel sauce | A French white sauce made with milk and a roux
of butter and flour. A thin sauce is made
with 1 tbsp each butter and flour to 1 cup of
milk. For medium sauce, use 2 tbsp each, and
for a thick sauce, use 3 tbsp each.
|
| beef tartare | Finely chopped, high quality beef, seasoned with
salt, pepper, and herbs, and served raw.
|
| bell pepper | The best known of American sweet peppers it belongs to the Capsicum family like the chile pepper but is mild, sweet flavored and crisp.
Though most often bright green, there are also red, yellow, orange, purple and brown varieties. They may be used in cooking or eaten raw, with seeds and stems removed.
|
| beni shoga | Ginger root pickled with sweet vinegar and colored
red. Often served with sushi in thin slices.
Also known as gari.
|
| berbere | Ethiopian spice blend used in stews and soups.
|
| besan | Indian flour made from ground, dried chickpeas.
Used as a thickener, and in doughs and noodles.
Highly nutritious.
|
| beurre blanc | French sauce, meaning "white butter". Made with
wine, vinegar, and shallots reduced over heat,
into which butter is whisked until the sauce is
thick.
|
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