Abbreviations and Glossary I've used

Abbreviations, Glossary, Substitutions, Special Information

Common abbreviations I’ve used in these recipes:

C = cup sm = small

lb = pound tsp = teaspoon

lg = large tbsp = tablespoon

qt = quart w/ = with

Glossary and Cooking Terms:

With increased interest in television shows about cooking, I am seeing a change of names in some foods; or, in some cases, a French name being used, where it wasn’t used previously. I am including some, in case you find something you do not understand in one of these recipes.

Roux = (pronounced rue) A mix of equal parts fat and flour, sautéed together to form the base of a gravy or sauce. There are various degrees of color for the roux, which affect the color of the gravy.
Mirepoix = (pronounced mir ě pwaugh) A French word for the three items that many French dishes begin with; sautéing of onions, carrots and celery pieces of roughly the same size (¼ to ½ inch), in butter.
The Trinity = The Creole equivalent to Mirepoix, and is the mix of onions, bell pepper and celery sautéed in butter, that forms the base of much Creole cooking.
Zest = What used to be called “peel” as in “grated lemon peel” is now called “grated lemon zest.” Zest is only the brightly colored part of the peel; it doesn’t include pale under-part, which is bitter.
Scallions = Green onions. Just recently (I guess I missed the signal) everyone has stopped calling them green onions and are now calling them scallions.
Peanut Oil = Cooking oil derived from peanuts, now used for frying, especially deep-frying, since it has the highest rating for burning.
Castor Sugar = a British term for “granulated” sugar.
Confectioner’s Sugar = Powdered sugar.
Ramekin = an individual (one serving) sized baking dish. Food is baked or prepared and served in them.
Bundt Pan = Decorative cake pan that holds two layers, with a hole in the middle. These have been “out-of-fashion” in the last 20 years or so, but are coming back. They’re nice for company dessert.
Sweat = this term is used to describe when sautéing vegetables under low/medium heat, rather than higher heat, causing them to “sweat” instead of saute.
Rolled Oats = Quaker Oatmeal, the regular (actually, quick-cooking) kind, not any of the instant types.
Fresh Garlic – how to peel. Smash each clove with flat side of chef’s knife, removing the skin easily.
Flat-Leaf Parsley, or Italian, or both = regular parsley. There is another parsley that has a ruffled leaf that can be grown, but not used in cooking. Parsley is used a lot in cooking today.
Au Jus = (pronounced ă jú) A French term for the dark juices that accompany meat sautéed at a heat warm enough to caramelize the juices.
Caramelize = this refers to the darkening of sugars that have liquefied, meat juices, roux, etc., as they heat up and darken, but do not burn. It enhances flavor, and makes it richer.
Blanch = Plunging vegetables or stone fruits into boiling water for a few seconds, or minutes, removing them, then plunging into ice water. This allows their skins to be removed easily (as in tomatoes or stone fruits), or slip the skins off nuts easily. They do not cook through, so crispness is kept.
Egg color = how do you keep hardboiled eggs from getting the green coloring around the edge of the yolk? Boil 15 minutes, remove immediately from heat, then rinse with cold water in the pan, until eggs and pan are both cool to touch. If you peel within 10 min., rolling egg both ways (horizontally and vertically), first, you will seldom have a problem removing shell.

Substitutions:

1. Buttermilk or Sour Milk: buttermilk has a nice, thick creamy texture with a rich, tangy, buttery taste that makes baked goods tender. In the past it was the liquid left over after churning butter. You can make your own buttermilk or sour milk, by adding 1 tbsp white vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup milk. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.

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