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| French word that refers to the mixture of coarsely chopped onions, carrots, and celery that provides a flavor base for stock; the mixture is usually 50 percent onions and 25 percent each of carrots and celery. For pale or white sauces, such as fish fumet, cooks usually use white mirepoix, in which they substitute parsnips, additional onions, leeks, and even chopped mushrooms for carrots. |
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| The herbs, spices, and flavorings that create a savory smell. |
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| French for “bag of herbs,” this is a bundle of fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley stems, and a bay leaf, tied together. |
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| Similar to bouquet garni, but this is an actual bag of herbs and spices; the spices, including parsley stems, dried thyme, bay leaf, and cracked peppercorns, are placed together in a cheesecloth bag. |
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| A flavorful liquid made by gently simmering bones and/or vegetables to extract the flavor, aroma, color, body, and nutrients of the ingredients. Stocks are often called the cook’s “building blocks,” and they form the base for many soups and sauces. |
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| The liquid that results from simmering meats or vegetables; also referred to as broth |
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| An amber liquid made by simmering poultry, beef, veal, or game bones that have been browned first. |
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| An aromatic vegetable broth used for poaching fish or vegetables. |
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| Very similar to fish stock, this is a highly flavored stock made with fish bones and reduced to intensify flavor. |
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| Sometimes referred to as “glaze,” this is a reduced stock with a jelly-like consistency, made from brown stock, chicken stock, or fish stock. |
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| This is a rich, lightly reduced stock used as a sauce for roasted meats. |
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| A weak stock made from bones that have already been used in another preparation, sometimes used to replace water as the liquid used in a stock; remouillage is the French word for “rewetting.” |
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| Stock usually made from mirepoix, leeks, and turnips; tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings may also be added to flavor or darken the stock. Any vegetable can be included in vegetable stock, but leafy greens tend to make the stock bitter. |
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| A clear, pale liquid made by simmering poultry, beef, or fish bones. |
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| Process in which bones are placed in a stockpot, covered with cold water, and brought to a slow boil; at full boil, the floating waste or scum is removed. Blanching bones rids them of some of the impurities that can cause cloudiness in a stock. |
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| To roast bones in a hot (400°F or 200°C) oven for about an hour, until they are golden brown. Browned bones give a stock a richer flavor and deeper color. |
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| Process in which bones and/or vegetables are cooked in a small amount of fat over low heat until they soften and release moisture. Sweating causes the bones and mirepoix to release flavor more quickly when liquid is added. |
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| The process of removing fat that has cooled and hardened from the surface of stock by lifting or scraping away the fat before reheating the stock. Fat removal gives the stock a clearer and purer color and also removes some of the fat content, making the stock more healthful. |
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| A liquid or semisolid product that is used in preparing other foods and that adds flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. |
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| A cook who specializes in making sauces. |
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| Five classical sauces that are the basis for most other sauces; mother sauces are sometimes called “grand sauces.” |
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| A mother sauce made from milk and white roux. |
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| A mother sauce made from veal, chicken, or fish stock and a white or blond roux. |
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| A mother sauce made from brown stock and brown roux. |
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| A mother sauce made from a stock and tomatoes |
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| Mother sauce that is an emulsion made from eggs, butter, and lemon. |
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| Also known as derivative sauces, these are sauces made using one of the five mother sauces. For example, demi-glace, a rich brown sauce, is traditionally made by combining equal parts espagnole sauce and veal stock and reducing to 50 percent of its starting volume. |
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| A rich brown sauce traditionally made by combining equal parts espagnole sauce and veal stock and reducing to 50 percent of its starting volume. |
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| Reducing a liquid ingredient in order to concentrate its flavor within the dish, while also helping with the final consistency of the finished sauce, so that it will coat and hold on the plate. |
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| A thickener made of equal parts cooked flour and a fat, such as clarified butter, oil, or shortening. |
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| This is cooked for a very short period of time and is used in sauces where little color is needed, like béchamel; white roux is bland and a little starchy and has the most thickening power. |
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| This is cooked longer than white roux, until the flour turns golden and has a nutty aroma, and it is used in ivory-colored sauces like velouté. Blond roux is a bit more flavorful and has a nutty taste to match the aroma. |
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| This sauce is cooked until it develops a dark brown color, and it is used in dishes that require a dark brown color. Brown roux is nutty and a rich medium-brown color. Dark brown roux is quite dark, with a nutty, roasted flavor. Brown roux has the least thickening ability because the starch has been cooked the longest. |
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| A thickener made of equal parts flour and soft, whole butter that is mixed together and shaped into small pea-sized balls and added to a cooking sauce. Beurre manié can be used to thicken a sauce quickly at the end of the cooking process. |
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| Cornstarch mixed with a cold liquid, which can be used instead of roux; the consistency should look like heavy cream. |
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| A mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream, often used to finish some sauces, such as Allemande sauce. A liaison adds a rich flavor and smoothness to a sauce without making it too thick. |
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| To bring to the proper state (such as a certain temperature and consistency) by slowly mixing in or adding a liquid ingredient, such as when tempering a sauce. |
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| A mixture of raw butter and various flavoring ingredients, such as herbs, nuts, citrus zest, shallots, ginger, and vegetables; compound butters are used to finish grilled or broiled meats, fish, poultry, game, pastas, and sauces, among other uses. Compound butter is rolled into a long tube shape, then chilled and sliced for use as needed. |
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| Type of compound butter that is a softened butter flavored with lemon juice and chopped parsley; it is often used to garnish grilled meat or fish. |
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| A thick puréed sauce made from vegetables or fruit. |
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| A cold mixture of fresh herbs, spices, fruits, and/ or vegetables that can be used as a sauce for meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish. |
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| A sauce made from the juices of cooked meat and brown stock. |
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| Meat served with its own juices. |
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| Way of straining a sauce to make sure it is smooth. In this method, a clean cheesecloth is placed over a bowl, and the sauce is poured through the cheesecloth into the bowl. The cloth is then twisted at either end to squeeze out the strained sauce. The cheesecloth catches the unwanted lumps of roux, or herbs, spices, and other seasonings. |
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| One of two basic kinds of soup; clear soups are usually fairly transparent and include flavored stocks, broths, and consommés. Examples include chicken noodle soup, minestrone (a tomato-based vegetable soup), and onion soup. |
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| One of two basic kinds of soup; thick soups include cream soups and purée soups, such as bisques, chowders, cream of tomato, lentil, and split pea soup. |
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| A “burnt onion”; made by cutting an onion in half across its hemisphere, and then charring the flat part either on a flat-top range or grill, or in a dry (fat-free) pan. Oignon brûlé adds color and flavor to a consommé, but care must be taken to prevent too much burning. |
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| The floating layer of egg whites, meat and vegetable solids, and fats that comes to the surface of a consommé as it slowly simmers; the raft is then removed, resulting in a pure and clear, or clarified, consommé. |
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| Made clear; for example, once the raft is removed from consommé, the result is pure and clear, or clarified. |
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| Soups thickened by the starch found in the puréed main ingredient. Purée soups are coarser than cream soups, but should be liquid enough to pour easily from a ladle. The main difference between a purée and cream soup is that cream soups are usually thickened with an added starch, such as roux. |
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| Hearty, thick soups made in much the same way as a cream soup. Chowders are not puréed before the cream or milk is added, but are usually thickened with roux and typically include large pieces of the main ingredients (usually potatoes or seafood) and garnishes. |
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