| Term | Definition
|
|---|
| 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.
|
| cayenne | Bright red, very hot chile pepper. Used to make
cayenne pepper, or ground for soups and sauces.
|
| celeriac | The root of a variety of celery, used raw or
cooked or pureed in a variety of dishes.
|
| celery | A popular vegetable; stalks and leaves are used
extensively in salads, appetizers, soups, and
more. Originally considered a medicinal herb.
|
| Celsius | A temperature scale where 0 is the freezing
point of water, and 100 is the boiling point
(at sea level.) F = 32 + C * 9/5.
|
| chafing dish | A dish kept above a heat source to keep food
warm.
|
| challah | A rich Jewish yeast bread, traditionally formed
in a braid.
|
| chalupa | A corn tortilla shaped like a boat, fried, then
filled like a taco.
|
| chapati | Indian whole-wheat bread; flat round cakes cooked
on a griddle.
|
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