| Term | Definition
|
|---|
| 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.
|
| 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.
|
| 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.
|
| bubble and squeak | An English side dish made with mashed potatoes
and cooked cabbage, mixed together and fried.
|
| bulger | Steamed, dried, and crushed wheat kernels. Used
in Middle-Eastern dishes like Tabbouleh.
|
| 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.
|
| 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.)
|
| Byrrh | French drink of combined red wine and quinine
water.
|
| 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.
|
| 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.
|
| caldo verde | A Portugese soup made with kale, potatoes, and
liguica sausage.
|
| 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.
|
| cambric tea | An American beverage of milk, water, sugar, and
tea, served hot.
|
| 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.
|
| cannoli | Italian dessert of deep fried pasta shells filled
with a sweet ricotta cheese mixture.
|
| 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.
|
| 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.
|
| cappuccino | An Italian coffee beverage of expresso, a little
steamed milk, topped with steamed milk foam and
cocoa powder.
|
| capsaicin | The "heat" in chiles comes from this compound.
Most prevalent in the seeds and veins of the
chiles.
|
| caramel | A candy produced by melting sugar to between
320 F. and 350 F. When cooled, it is hard and
brittle. Soft caramel, used as an ice cream
topping, is made by mixing butter and milk
with the caramel.
|
| caramelize | A cooking technique of topping a dish with sugar
and then melting the sugar with high heat. This
is the technique used to make creme brulee.
|
| carpaccio | Italian dish of raw beef, very thinly sliced,
drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, and
topped with capers and onions.
|
| cassata | A traditional Italian dessert, typically made
with sponge cake enclosing a ricotta-chocolate
filling.
|
| cassoulet | A French dish of white beans and meats, slow
cooked in a covered pot.
|
| caster suger | Also spelled castor sugar is the British equivalent for superfine sugar. It dissolves easily and can be used for such things as making meringues and sweetening cold liquids.
It can be substituted for regular granulatd sugar cup for cup.
|
| caul | A fatty membrane taken from pig or sheep. It is
used to wrap preparations, such as pate, and it
melts while cooking.
|
| caviar | Classic, famous appetizer of sturgeon roe (eggs).
Beluga caviar is considered the best, coming
from the Caspain Sea of Russia and Iran. Lesser
caviars are available from other fish species.
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