French cookery is of so diverse a nature that many volumes have already been written upon the subject; and new modes of dressing the same things are so constantly being invented, that we must content ourselves with merely giving a few explanations of the terms adopted by most of our professed cooks.

Atelets. Small silver skewers.

Baba. A French sweet yeast cake.

Bain Marie. A flat vessel containing boiling water, intended to hold also other saucepans for the purpose either of cooking or keeping their contents hot. The Bain Marie is called in the English kitchen Beau Mere Pan. This term is old, having its origin with the alchymists, who, finding that sea-water boiled at a high temperature, and did not evaporate so quickly, used a pan containing sea-water; hence the term: Bain Marie; or, Sea-Water Bath.

Bard

A slice of thin bacon fat, used for covering the breasts of birds, the back of a hare, or any substance that requires the assistance of fat where larding is not preferred.

Beignet, Or Fritter

Anything that is enveloped in a casing of batter or egg, and fried. Thus we have fritters of fruit, vegetables, cream, etc.

Blanc

A white broth used to improve the color of chickens, lamb, etc.

Blanch

To set anything on the fire in cold water, and when it boils strain it off and plunge it into cold water.

Blanquettes

A kind of fricassee. made of slices of white meat cut thin, and warmed in white sauce thickened with the yolk of eggs.

Bouilli

Beef very much boiled and served with sauce.

Bouillon

The common soup of France.

Bouquet

A bunch of parsley and scallions tied up to put in soups, etc.

Bouquet garni, or Assaisonne. The same, with the addition of cloves or aromatic herbs.

Bourguignote

A ragout of truffles.

Braise

This is a method of dressing meat, poultry. etc, without evaporation. It is done by lining a braising pan with thin slices of bacon, beef, or veal; upon which place whatever you may intend to braise; and also add carrots, onions, lemons, bay leaf, herbs, pepper, and salt.

Brioclie

A French yeast cake.

Buisson (En)

A fanciful mode of dressing up pastry, etc.

Callipash

The glutinous meat of the upper shell of a turtle.

Callipee

The glutinous meat of the under shell of a turtle.

Caramel

Sugar boiled down until the water is evaporated, and then formed in ornamental devices for decorating gateaux-baskets, etc. ' It is also used for coloring gravies when reduced almost to the burning point, and then dissolved in water. Its use is not much to the credit of the cook.

Capilotade

A hash of poultry. Civet. - A hash of game or wild fowl. Compeigne. - A French sweet yeast cake, with fruit, etc.

Compotier

A dish in the dessert service purposely for the compote.

Couronne (En)

To serve any pre-scribed articles on a dish in the form of a crown.

Court Or Short, To Stew

The reduction of a sauce until it becomes very thick.

Croutons

Bread cut in various shapes and fried lightly in butter or oil.

Casserole

A rice-crust moulded in the form of a pie; when baked, filled with a mince or puree of game, or with a blanquette of white meat. Also a stewpan.

Compote

Stewed fruits served with syrup. There are also compotes of pigeons and other small birds.

Consomme is a strong clear gravy, drawn from the long stewing of any kind of meat, to be either used as broth, or made into soups and sauces.

Coulis, or cullis, is a rich brown gravy commonly used for the purpose of coloring as well as thickening and flavoring many sorts of soups and sauces. It is made in various ways, chiefly upon a foundation of ham and veal, slices of which are put into a closely covered stewpan, with only a small quantity of water, and boiled over a brisk fire until the whole becomes brown and thick. See Sauces.

Croquettes

A mince of either fish, meat, or poultry, made very savory, with a small quantity of sauce, formed into shapes of any kind, rolled in egg and bread-crumbs, and fried crisp.

Croustades, or Dresden patties, made of paste or bread baked in small moulds, and filled with mince of any kind.

Dorez

To wash pastry, etc, with yolk of egg well beaten.

Dorure

Yolks of eggs well beaten.

"En papillote." -White paper is greased with oil or butter, and then folded over a cutlet or small fish, fastening it by screwing the paper at the edges.

Entremets

Small ornamental dishes served in the second and third courses.

Entree

A corner dish for the first course. In large dinners the side dishes are called flancs.

Financiere

An expensive, highly flavored, mixed ragout.

Flan

A French custard.

Farce

Forcemeat.

Faggot

A small bunch of parsley and thyme and a bay-leaf tied up.

Fricandeaux - may be made of any boned piece of veal, in pieces of not more than two or three lbs. weight, chiefly cut from that portion of the fillet which we have described as the thick part. It is a frequent dish as an entree at good tables, and requires great care to serve in perfection.

Gateau

A cake or pudding.

Glaze (To)

To reduce sauces to a jelly, that they will adhere to the meat.

Glace Or Glaze

Stock boiled down to a consistency, and used to improve the appearance of all braised dishes; it should be warmed in the bain-marie, and applied with a brush.

Glaze, Glace Ice, is composed of white of egg beaten with powdered sugar.

Godiveau

A common veal forcemeat.

Gras (au), - means that the article is dressed with meat gravy.

Gratin

A layer of any article intended for this purpose is spread over a dish that will bear the fire, and is placed on a stove or hot ashes until it burns.

Hors D'Aeure

A small dish served during the first course. Lard (to). - To stick bacon, or whatever meat may be named, into poultry, meat, etc. It is accomplished with a larding pin, one end of which is square and. one hollow. The lardon is put into this hollow, the point is then inserted in the meat, and on being drawn through leaves the bacon or lardon standing in its proper place. It requires practice to do this well.

Lardon

The pieces into which bacon or other meats are cut for the purpose of larding.

Liaison

A finish with yolks of eggs and cream for ragouts and sauces.

Madeleines

Cakes made of the same composition as pound cakes.

Maigre (Au)

Soups, etc, dressed without meat.

Mash

To cover completely.

Marinade

A liquor prepared for boiling or stewing fish or meat in: it is sometimes used cold.

Meringue

A very light preparation, made of sugar and whites of eggs beaten to snow.

Matelote

A rich stew of fish with wine.

Miroton consists of small slices of meat cut thin, and not larger than a crown-piece, and made into various sorts of ragofits; and dished up in a circular form.

Nouilles

An Italian paste resembling macaroni, but flat instead of being in pipes.

Panada

Bread soaked in milk, used principally for quenelles and fine farces.

Passer

To fry lightly.

Pate

A raised crust pie.

Poelee

A light braise for white meats; the difference between this and the braise is that in the former, the meat, or what-ever it may be, need not be so much dona as the latter.

Potage

A term for soup.

The Pot-au-feu is truly the foundation of all good cookery, and of that we shall treat rather largely in our chapters on soups and sauces.

Puree

A culinary operation which should be carefully attended to, and which, although known for preparing potted meats and fish, is seldom employed by common cooks in any thing but pea-soup. It consists in either pounding the meat or fish in a mortar until it becomes a paste, or in stewing roots or pulse in boiling water until they are softened into a thick pulp, when they are passed, first through a colander, or through a puree presser, and afterwards through a wire or hair sieve, and being thinned with broth, may be formed into soups of various sorts.

Quenelles and Godiveaux are different sorts of forcemeat, composed of meat or fish, with bread and yolk of egg, and fat of some kind; seasoned in various ways, and either spread upon rolled meat, or formed into balls and fried as garnish to entrees, or served separately as entrees.

How To Make Quenelles

When the forcemeat is made, take two tablespoons, fill one with the meat, dip a knife in hot water, with which smooth it over; then dip the other spoon into boiling water, and with it remove the meat from the first spoon, and slip it into a buttered stewpan; so on until you have the number you want: then cover them with stock, and boil them about ten minutes, or until firm, and they are fit for use. For small quenelles use teaspoons.

Rissole

A mince of meat or fish, enclosed in paste, or made up into shapes or balls in the manner of minced collops, and used either as side-dishes, or as a garnish for stews or hashes, now more elegantly termed fricassees and ragouts.

Roux

A thickening for white soups or gravy, made of flour and butter.

Salmis

A hash made of game, which is cut up when only half roasted; whereas a hash is made from dressed game.

Sauter

To fry very lightly.

Sabotiere Or Saubeture

A pewter or tin vessel in which are placed the moulds containing whatever is intended to be frozen.

Tourner Or Turn

To stir a sauce; also to pare and cut roots, vegetables, and fruits very neatly.

Tamis, or "tammy," a strainer of thin woollen canvas, or silk, used for straining soups and sauces.

Tourte

A kind of tart baked in a shallow tin.

Vanner

To take up sauce or any other liquid in a spoon and turn it over very quickly.

Veloute

For heightening the flavors of soups, made dishes, etc.

Vol-au-vent-An extremely light puff paste, in which are enclosed minces of sweetbread, poultry, game, etc.