Term | Definition
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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.
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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.
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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.
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bouillon | A strained broth made by cooking any vegetable,
meat, seafood, or poultry in water. Used for
soups and sauces.
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bouquet | Refers to the fragrance of wine.
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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.
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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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Brazil nut | The seed of a large, Amazon jungle tree. High
in fat and high in the antioxident, selenium.
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bread starter | Before commercial baking powders and yeasts were available, bread starters were a mixture of flour, water, sugar and yeast set aside to ferment and then kept alive by regularly adding equal parts of water and flour.
Various types of starters include sourdough and Herman (see word search for recipes). Two cups of starter mixture substitutes for each package of yeast called for in a recipe.
The starter should not be used if it turns orange or pink as it has been invaded by undesirable backteria and must be discarded.
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brown sugar | Granulated or white sugar combined with molasses giving it a soft texture. Dark brown sugar has a heavier molasses flavor and light brown sugar, a more delicate taste.
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bruschette | Traditionally, this is toasted bread rubbed with garlic
and olive oil. Now the bread is more often topped
with tomatoes, herbs, mushrooms, or other items.
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bubble and squeak | An English side dish made with mashed potatoes
and cooked cabbage, mixed together and fried.
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bulger | Steamed, dried, and crushed wheat kernels. Used
in Middle-Eastern dishes like Tabbouleh.
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Bundt pan | A round baking pan with a tube in the middle and
fluted sides. Bundt was a trademarked name,
but now the term is generic.
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butterfly | A preparation technique of splitting an item
down the center, nearly completely through,
so the halves can be opened and laid flat,
looking like a butterfly (though a meaty, dead
one.)
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Byrrh | French drink of combined red wine and quinine
water.
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cacao | A tropical tree whose seeds are used to make
cocoa and chocolate.
|
Caesar salad | Famous salad first made by Caesar Cardini in
Tijuana, Mexico. Romaine lettuce and croutons
are tossed with garlic, olive oil, lemon
juice, anchovy, egg, and Worcestershire sauce.
An editor favorite is to substitute crisp chopped
celery for the croutons.
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Cajun | A culinary style of French and Southern origins,
associated with the deep south. There are
numerous well known dishes, such as Jambalaya,
that come from this cuisine.
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caldo verde | A Portugese soup made with kale, potatoes, and
liguica sausage.
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calorie | An energy unit of measure. It is defined as the
energy required to heat one gram of water by
one degree C. at sea level. Fat and alcohol
both have nearly twice the calories per unit
of weight than carbohydrates and proteins.
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cambric tea | An American beverage of milk, water, sugar, and
tea, served hot.
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canape | An appetizer or hors d'oeuvre of bread or
crackers with some savory topping.
|
cannelloni | A large, tube-shaped pasta. They are generally
boiled, stuffed, and served with a sauce.
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cannoli | Italian dessert of deep fried pasta shells filled
with a sweet ricotta cheese mixture.
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Canola oil | This Canadian oil is made from the rapeseed.
Who'd want an oil named after the rapeseed?
It is low in saturated fat and high in
monounsaturated fat, making it a relatively
healthy oil.
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capellini | Thin pasta, slightly thicker than "angel hair"
pasta.
|
capers | The flower but of a bush native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia.
It is picked, dried and then pickled in a vinegar brine. After rinsing, capers add a piquancy to sauces and condiments or as a garnish to meats and vegetables.
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cappuccino | An Italian coffee beverage of expresso, a little
steamed milk, topped with steamed milk foam and
cocoa powder.
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capsaicin | The "heat" in chiles comes from this compound.
Most prevalent in the seeds and veins of the
chiles.
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