French Cooking Terms - G to Z

Page 2 of our handy food dictionary of French cooking terms, great for those who are interested in venturing into more gourmet cooking.

Click here to find French cooking terms A to F.

French Cooking Terms - Part 2

Gratiner or Au Gratin
To sprinkle the surface of a cooked food with bread crumbs and butter, and sometimes cheese and brown under the broiler. The finished food is referred to as au gratin as in au gratin potatoes.

Hors d'Oeuvre
First course or appetizer.

Jus or Jus de Viande
The juices that occur naturally from cooking.

Jus Lié
A thickened gravy.

Liaison
Ingredients used for thickening sauces, soups or other liquids.

Macédoine
Small diced mixed vegetables, usually containing at least one root vegetable. Sometimes also means a mixture of fruit, like fruit salad.

Marmite
French word for a covered earthenware container for soup. The soup is both cooked and served in it.

Mirepoix
A mixture of braising vegetables.

Mortifier
To hand meat, game or poultry.

Moulè-â-manqué
A cake tin that is wider at the base than at the top and only about 1" in depth.

Napper
To coat, mask or cover with something.

Noisette
The word literally means "nut". It usually means nut brown in color. For example, beurre noisette is butter browned over heat until it becomes a nut brown color. It can also refer to boneless rack of lamb that is rolled, tied and cut into rounds. The word can also refer to hazelnuts.

Nouvelle Cuisine
A term that refers to the style of cooking that features lighter dishes with lighter sauces and very fresh ingredients.

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More French Cooking Terms

Panade
A very thick mixture, usually made from a combination of flour, butter and milk, that is used as a base for dishes such as soufflés and fish cakes.

Paner
To coat with egg and crumbs before frying.

Papillote
A wrapping of parchment paper around fish or meat used for cooking. The paper retains moisture in the food.

Parisienne
Refers to potatoes molded into balls with a melon scoop and fried or roasted.

Pâte
A basic mixture or paste. Often refers to uncooked dough or pastry.

Pâté
A paste made of liver, pork or game.
Pâtisserie
A sweet or pastry, it also refers to a cake shop.

Piquer
To insert fat, bacon, ham etc into meat or poultry.

Poussin
A young chicken.

Quenelle
Minced fish or meat mixture that is formed into small shapes and poached. It also refers to a shape that the minced mixture is made into.

Ragoût
A stew

Réchauffée
Reheated food.

Repere
Flour mixed with water or egg white and used to seal pans when cooking food slowly. Often used when cooking a ragoût.

Revenir
To quickly fry meats or vegetables in hot fat to warm them through.

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Roux
Melted butter to which flour has been added. Used as a thickener for sauces or soups.

Rouille
Garlic and oil emulsion used as flavoring.

Sautoir
A deep frying pan with a lid, used for recipes that require fast frying, then slow cooking.

Terrine
Pâté or mixture of minced ingredients, baked or steamed in a loaf shaped container.

Timbale
A dish cooked in a mould that is higher than it is wide and has sloping sides.

Velouté
A type of sauce made from butter, flour, cream and stock.

Vol-au-vent
A large pastry case made of puff pastry that is usually used as a container for creamed dishes, such as creamed chicken.

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