Menu Cheat Sheet

MENU Cheat Sheet THINGS YOU SEE ON MENUS BUT ARE TOO EMBARRASSED TO ASK ABOUT FOOD GLOSSARY Antipasto - Italian cold appetiser Iso - Sushi rice outside seaweed roll Aperitif - Small glass of alcohol served before a meal to stimulate palate Kale - Form of wild cabbage Kobe - Japanese beef variety Béarnaise sauce - Sauce made from butter, vinegar Langoustine - Small, orange/pink lobster and egg yolk Maki - Sushi rice filled rolls wrapped in Béchamel sauce - Sauce made from butter, flour seaweed and milk Memela - A Mexican take on pizza Bisque - Creamy soup usually made by straining Mezze - From Balkan derivation, many small crustaceans dishes Bouquet Garnis - Bundle of herbs used to flavour Mizuna - Japanese type of green leaf Canapé - Appetiser normally served on bread, Nigiri - Raw fish over pressed vinegared rice crackers or pastry Parfait - Frozen dessert made from sugar Ceviche - Raw fish dish of Peruvian origin syrup, egg and cream Piri Piri - Flavouring derived from a type of chilli originating in Central Africa Ramen - Japanese noodle soup Chapulines - Edible grasshoppers originating in Mexico and parts of Southeast Asia Chateaubriand - Thick tenderloin steak, traditionally shared Roe - Eggs extracted from fish Compote - Chunks of fruit in a sugar syrup Samphire - Salty coastal green Edamame - A type of soybean Sashimi - Raw meat or fish sliced very finely Socarrat - Rice that forms a crust at the Empanada - Mexican filled pastry bottom of the pan Escabeche - Dish originating in the Mediterranean - fried fish in lemon/tomato marinade Quinoa - Grain from South America, similar to barley Foam - Very light, whipped, flavoured mousse Taquito - Rolled and fried taco Foie Gras - Liver of duck/goose specially fattened Tabbouleh - Wheat based salad often Gazpacho - Spanish chilled soup Ghee - Clarified butter including tomato and lemon juice Tempura - Japanese term for being Gnocchi - Small, dough dumplings also made battered and fried from cheese and potato Hollandaise sauce - Sauce made from egg yolk, Velouté Sauce - White stock thickened with flour and butter butter and lemon juice Hors d'oeuvre - Small appetiser (C HOW IT'S DESCRIBED 9 Á la Carte - From the menu - list of food items priced separately Á la Mode - In the current style Du Jour - 'Of the day' Heritage - Crops not grown commercially (usually pota- toes/vegetables) Table d'Hôte - Set menu at a fixed price COOKING METHODS 000000 À la Broche - Cooked on a skewer Omakase - I'Il leave it to you' in Beignet - Deep fried in batter Japanese. Means that the chef decides Blanched - Plunged into boiling, then cold water on the dish Braised - Cooked in both moist and dry heat Provencal - Cooked with tomatoes, Caramelised - To convert to caramel using heat Confit - Cooked in grease, oil or sugar-water anchovies and olives Reduced/Reduction - Liquid thickened and intensified by simmering Sautéed - Cooked in fat on a high heat Decanted - Liquid separated from its sediment Emulsified/Emulsion - Combined liquids that don't mix easily Scalded - Heated until almost boiling En Cocotte - Cooked and served in individual pots Seared - Cooked so that the surface is Enhanced - Mixed with hint of another ingredient crispy and juices sealed inside Flambéed - Liquor drizzled over food while Simmered - Cooked in liquid just below cooking, then ignited boiling Frenched - Meat separated from bone and fat How it's served DRINK TERMS Avec des Glaçons - On the rocks À Point - Medium rare AI Dente - Firm to the bite Bomber - 22 ounce bottle of beer Artisan - Crafted, not mass produced Bouquet - Combination of aromas in aged wines Brut - French term meaning dry Bien Cuit - Well done Bleu/Saignant - Rare ('blue' or 'bleeding') Chaud - Hot Craft/Microbrew Beer - Produced in small amounts and unique to a particular region Hot - Wine which has a high Crudo - Raw Crushed - Gently broken down Deconstructed - Component parts of alcohol content a dish left unassembled Jeroboam - Large bottle of wine Émincé - Finely cut (4-6 regular bottles) Farci - Stuffed Noble Hops - Hop varieties grouped togeth- Gelled - Mixed with gelatine to er due to their similar floral, earthy produce semi-solid flavours Granita - Semi-frozen to form Reinheitsgebot - A German standard of slushy texture purity awarded to national beers Haché - Finely ground Julienne - Cut into long, thin strips Tot - A short shot Paré - Peeled thinly Bookatable Sources foodrepublic.com, goodhousekeeping.com, world-food-and-wine.com, huffingtonpost.com, web.stanford.edu, en.wikipedia.org, atomicgourmet.com, dailymail.co.uk, hintsandthings.co.uk, enchantedlearning.com, reluctantgourmet.com, howto-simplify.com, freethoughtblogs.com