| Term | Definition
|
|---|
| beurre manie | A sauce thickener of softened butter combined with
an equal amount of flour. Small pieces can be
stirred into broth to thicken.
|
| biltong | From Africa; air-dried, cured meat strips. Like
American beef jerky, but considered finer. Made
from beef or game.
|
| bisque | A thick soup made of pureed seafood and cream.
|
| bitters | Bitter flavored distillation of herbs, bark,
roots, and plants. Used in cocktails and cooking.
The most popular brand is Angostura bitters.
|
| blackened | A cooking technique made famous by Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme. Meat or fish is usually seasoned with a cajun spice mixture and then cooked in a cast iron skillet that has been heated almost red hot. This technique gives the food an extra crispy crust and sears in the juices. It is also guaranteed to set off your smoke detector--unless the battery is dead.
|
| blanch | A cooking technique of placing food into boiling
water for a short time, then in cold water to
stop cooking.
|
| blanquette | A French term for creamy stew made of veal, chicken, or lamb, mushrooms and whole small white onions.
|
| blend | To mix 2 or more ingredients together with a spoon, whisk, or electric blender until combined.
|
| blintz | A very thin pancake, rolled around a filling and
sauteed until golden brown.
|
| bockwurst | A German sausage made with ground veal and herbs.
|
| boiling | To boil refers to heating a liquid until bubbles for and break at the surface, commonly 212 degrees for water at sea level.
A rolling boil is one that can't be slowed by stirring.
|
| Bolognese | A cooking style named after Bologna, Italy, in which dishes are served with a thick meat and vegetable sauce made with wine and milk or cream.
A ragu is a fypical Bolognese sauce.
|
| bone | When used as a cooking verb, it means to remove
the bones.
|
| borscht | A Russian or Polish soup made with beef stock,
beets, and other vegetables or meat. Traditionally
topped with sour cream. Served hot or cold.
|
| boudin | Boudin blanc is a French sausage made with chicken, pork, fat, eggs, cream, bread crumbs and seasonings.
In Louisiana it is made with pork, rice and onions.
|
| bouillabaisse | A French seafood stew made with fish and shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine, garlic, saffron and herbs. Often served over thick slices of French Bread.
|
| bouillon | A strained broth made by cooking any vegetable,
meat, seafood, or poultry in water. Used for
soups and sauces.
|
| bouquet | Refers to the fragrance of wine.
|
| bouquet garni | Herbs tied or bagged in cheesecloth and used to
flavor soups or broths. They can easily be
removed at the end of cooking.
|
| braise | A cooking technique of browning meat, then slow
cooking in a tightly covered container with a
small amount of liquid.
|
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