Culinary Terms

Culinary Terms
Accompaniments

Al dente

Au gratin

Bain-Marie
You'll need to know all of these
Brûlée

Bouquet garni

Croutons

En croute An introduction
Entree

Flambé

Garnish

Julienne

Marinade

Mise en place

Purée

Reduction

Roux

Sauté
 Accompaniments
Items offered separately to a main dish
Al dente
Firm to the bite
 Au gratin
Sprinkled with cheese and/or breadcrumbs and browned.
 Bain-marie
A double-boiler or pan of hot water beneath a cooking vessel, used to heat foods evenly and
without burning
 Brûlée
Directly translated as burnt cream. A thick custard served cold with a contrasting warm
brittle caramel topping
 Bouquet garni
A small bundle of herbs, tied with string and removed from the dish before serving
 Coulis
A sauce made of fruit or vegetable purée
 Croutons
Pieces of bread, often but not always cubed, that are fried or grilled and added as garnish or a
contrasting texture
 En croute
Fish, meat or vegetables wrapped and cooked n pastry
 Entree
The starter course, before or in between principle courses
 Flambé
To cook with a flame by burning away alcohol went cooking
 Garnish
Decoration, often some form of salad for savoury or fruit for sweet, with many variations
over the years
 Julienne
Thin, matchstick sized strips of vegetables
 Marinade
A fragranced liquid used to add flavour and tenderise meat and fish prior to cooking
 Mise en place
Everything in its place. Basic food preparation prior to cooking and/or assembly
 Purée
A smooth mixture made from food passed through a sieve or finely processed
 Reduction
A liquid concentrated by boiling or simmering excess liquid away
 Roux
A thickening of cooked flour and fat
 Sauté
Tossed in fat and cooked