Cul 500

Vocabulary 1

Au sec – reduce until nearly dry

Caul fat – a fatty membrane from pig, sheep or cow, can be used to bard roasts.

Stewing hen – a mature female chicken, over 10 months old, good for stewing or braising.

Squab – an immature pigeon, less than 4 weeks, good for broiling, roasting, or sauteing.

Ballotine – deboning and stuffing a poultry leg.

Beurre Manie – equal weights of flour and softened butter combined into a paste and used to thicken liquids at the end of the cooking process.

Gastrique – caramelized sugar deglazed with vinegar.

Confit – meat or poultry slow cooked in its own fat.

Chutney – a condiment made from fruits and-or vegetables, can be sweet and/or sour and contain spices.

Duxelle – coarse past of mushrooms with shallots in butter.

Vocabulary 2

Primal cuts – Primary divisions of muscle, bone and connective tissue created in the initial butchering of an animal.

Collagen – A protein found in connective tissue that becomes gelatinous when cooked with moisture.

Elastin – A protein found in connective tissue (ligaments and tendons, silverskin) that does not break down with cooking.

Barding – Tying slices of fat (bacon or fatback) to lean cuts in order to protect, moisten, and flavor while cooking.

Trussing – Tie meat or poultry into a compact shape for cooking.

Frenching – all meat and connective tissue are removed from bones until it is bare.

Grain (muscle) – The direction of the muscle fibers, cut across the grain for a more tender bite.

Sous Vide – “Under Vacuum” Low temp, moist heat cooking method.

Marbling – intramuscular fat; fat streaks within the meat.

A la minute – A preparation step that occurs at the last minute before service.

Vocabulary 3

Venison – meat from any member of the deer family; deer, antelope, moose, elk.

Furred game – game animals with fur, both large such as deer, boar, elk, and also small animals like rabbit, squirrel, and opossum.

Feathered game – winged game, both upland birds and waterfowl; includes wild turkeys, quail, pheasant, and wild duck and geese and partridge.

Entomophagy – the consuming of insects; crickets, grasshoppers, ants, worms.

Gratin – to broil or brown the top of (au gratin = “with a crust”).

Frenching – to scrape flesh and sinew away leaving bones bare.

Spring lamb – 3-5 months of age, 45-55 lbs, flavorful dark pink meat with white fat, are fed a milk-based diet.

Flatfish – a fish with a flat body found near the ocean bottom, both eyes are on the same side of face, provides 4 fillets; halibut, flounder, sole, turbot.

Drawn – a fish with viscera (guts) removed.

Dressed – a fish with viscera, scales, head, tail, and fins removed in preparation for cooking.

Vocabulary 4

Plant-based - A diet or nutrition plan that prioritizes the use of plants; fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, and grains while restricting or eliminating the consumption of animal products.

Cruciferous - plants from the cabbage family; broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, rutabaga, turnip (also called brassicas)

Fruit vegetable - a plant  that is botanically a fruit but used as a vegetable in culinary applications, examples are cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes.

IQF - Individually Quick Frozen, items are frozen prior to packaging so you have loose frozen peas for example instead of a clump of peas all frozen in a big chunk. 

Pectin - water soluble fiber found in fruits and vegetables, adds gelatin-like stability to jams, jellies.

Chlorophyll - green pigment in vegetables.

Offal - edible entrails (kidney, liver, heart, sweetbreads, tongue) and extremities (oxtail and pig feet) of an animal.

Sweetbreads - thymus gland of calf, lamb, or young hog. Has mild, delicate flavor and texture.

Soufflé - A puffy sweet or savory dish made with a custard base lightened with whipped egg white and baked. It puffs upon baking, deflates on cooling. Serve immediately. 

Sunchoke - (Jerusalem artichoke) a tuber of the sunflower, a winter vegetable with knobby, brown skin and white flesh. Has earthy, nutty flavor like a water chesnut or potatoe with an artichoke aftertaste. Braise, roast, or saute.