French Cooking Terms – Part 3, N-Z
Part 3, N-Z.
We have compiled a list of French cooking terms translated for better understanding in the English language:
French Cooking Terms (Part 1, A-D)
French Cooking Terms (Part 2, E-M)
French Cooking Terms beginning with N
Napper: To coat, mask or cover with something.
Neige: A French term for egg whites that have been beaten until they form stiff peaks. They are used in many dessert and pastry preparations.
Noisette: The word literally means “hazelnuts”, but can also refer to something being nut brown in colour. For example, beurre noisette is butter browned over heat until it becomes a nut brown color. It can also refer to boneless rack of lamb that is rolled, tied and cut into rounds.
Nouvelle Cuisine: A term that refers to the style of cooking that features lighter dishes with lighter sauces and very fresh ingredients.
Normande, a la: Dish including seafood and truffles.
Nougat: a candy made from egg white sweetened with honey or sugar and mixed with pieces of nuts and sometimes pieces of fruit.
Nouvelle cuisine: a new style of cooking which avoids traditional rich sauces in favor of fresh ingredients and attractive presentation.
French Cooking Terms beginning with O
Oeuf: The French word for “egg”.
French Cooking Terms beginning with P
Panade: A very thick mixture usually made from a combination of flour, butter, and milk that is used as a base for dishes such as soufflés and fish cakes.
Papillote: is a wrapping of parchment paper around fish or meat used for cooking. The paper is used to retain moisture.
Parisienne: Refers to potatoes molded into balls with a melon scoop, and fried or roasted.
Pâtisserie: A sweet or pastry, it also refers to a cake shop.
Pâté: paste or spread made from seasoned minced meat or fish.
Pâté a choux: Egg and butter pastry for profiteroles.
Pâté brisee: Shortcrust pastry.
Pâté foie gras: pâté made from goose liver.
Pâté sucree: Sweet pastry
Paysanne: Vegetables cut into thin slices.
Pave: Layers of sponge with cream.
Persillade: A mixture of chopped garlic, shallots, parsley – sometimes breadcrumbs are added too.
Portefeuille: A French term describing dishes in which the food is stuffed, folded, or placed in layers. Common preparations of this type are omelets, gratins, or stuffed chicken breast.
Petits pois: peas.
Petit dejeuner: breakfast.
Petit-four: (little oven) a small dessert especially cake.
Pièce de résistance: (the one that resists) the main dish of a meal.
Piquant: Spicy
Piquer: To insert fat, such as bacon into meat or poultry.
Pistou: French for “pesto”.
Pignons: pine nuts, edible seeds of the stone pine grown in southern Europe.
Piquant(e): agreeably sharp or spicy tasting.
Plat du jour: (dish of the day) a dish served in a restaurant on a particular day but which is not part of the regular menu.
Pluches: French term for fresh leaves of herbs used to both flavor the dish, and garnish it. They are added as a final touch to prepared dishes.
Poisson: fish.
Pomme de terre: potato.
Portefeuille: A French term describing dishes in which the food is stuffed, folded, or placed in layers. Common preparations of this type are omelets, gratins, or stuffed pork chops.
Poulet: A french term for a young spring chicken
Poussin: A very young small chicken.
Pourboire: a gratuity or tip.
Prix Fixe: a meal consisting of several courses with one total price.
Provençale: in the style of Provence; food cooked in a sauce of garlic, tomatoes, and/or olive oil.
Purée: to reduce food by mashing and blending to a lump-free consistency.
French Cooking Terms beginning with Q
Quadrillage: To sear the crosshatched grill lines onto food.
Quasi: A French term for a cut of veal taken from the rump.
Quenelle: is a minced fish or meat mixture that is formed into small shapes and then poached. It also refers to the shape that the minced mixture is made into.
French Cooking Terms beginning with R
Ragoût: seasoned dish of meat chunks stewed with vegetables.
Ramequin: small individual casserole.
Ratatouille: a cooked dish of eggplant, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, peppers, fried and then stewed in olive oil, served hot or cold.
Réchauffée: Reheated food.
Remoulade: Mayo with capers, mustard and gherkins. Good with meat and or mixed with shredded celeriac.
Repere: Flour mixed with water or egg white and used to seal pans when cooking food slowly. Often used when cooking a ragoût.
Revenir: To quickly fry meats or vegetables in hot fat to warm them through.
Rissolé: A French term for foods that are fried until crispy and golden brown.
Rouille: A garlic and oil emulsion used as flavouring.
Roulade: A French term for any of various preparations which are stuffed and then rolled.
Roquefort: a blue-veined, sheep’s milk cheese from Roquefort, a village in southwestern France.
Roux: a cooked mixture of flour and melted fat used as a thickener in making sauces.
French Cooking Terms beginning with S
Sasser: A French term describing the cleansing of thin skinned vegetables through friction by wrapping them in cloth with course salt and shaking.
Saucisse: The French term for a small sausage.
Sauté: to fry quickly with a small amount of fat over high heat.
Sautoir: A deep frying pan with a lid – used for recipes that require fast frying then slow cooking.
Sauce verte: Mayo dyed green with cooked spinach, parsley or watercress.
Soubise: White sauce mixed with cooked onions.
Souffle: Egg yolk mix made fluffy through the addition of whipped egg whites. Air in the mixture expands while the egg hardens, trapping it and maintaining the rise.
Sorbet: a frozen dessert made with fruit juice and beaten egg whites.
Soupe du jour: (soup of the day) the particular kind of soup offered on a day, for example: soupe a l’oignon (onion soup).
French Cooking Terms beginning with T
Tamponner: A French culinary term referring to the technique of placing flecks or small cubes of butter to on the surface of a sauce or other hot preparation. This technique is used to prevent a skin from forming on the top of the sauce while it is kept hot.
Tapenade: a dish originating in Provence consisting of a blend of black olives, anchovies, capers, olive oil, and lemon juice, usually served as an hors d’oeuvre.
Tarte: a fruit pie or tart.
Tarte tatin: is an upside down tart of pastry cooked over buttery caramel fruit.
Terrine A Pâté: or similar mixture of minced ingredients is baked or steamed in a loaf shaped container.
Timbale: A dish cooked in a mold that is higher than it is wide and has sloping sides.
Tourage: The French term for a technique of making puff pastry dough by continually folding and rolling out the dough to make hundreds of dough layers that rise when baked.
Tournedos: A cut of beef taken midway from the tenderloin
Turbiner: A French culinary term meaning to freeze ice creams and sorbets until solid.
French Cooking Terms beginning with U
Un méli-mélo: An assortment
French Cooking Terms beginning with V
Vanner: A French term meaning to stir or whisk a mixture until it has cooled.
Velouté: A type of sauce made from butter, flour, cream and stock.
Vol-au-vent: a very light pastry shell filled with meat or fish with sauce.
Vin: French for “wine”.
