This Weeks Terms Learned

Reservation is an incredible place to learn. I am grateful to Exec Chef an Head Chef that they have allowed a newbie like me into their kitchen.

These are some of the terms that I learned this week;

Béchamel;

Name derived from the Marquis de Bechameil. It is a white sauce that is created by mixing roux with seasoned milk.

It is one of the five mother sauces

Brunoise;

A minute dice.

Espagnole;

Sauce made from Onions, Garlic, Tomatoes and Sweet Peppers.

It is one of the five mother sauces

Salpicon;

Diced ingredients (fine dice) bound with sauce. It comes from Spanish sal (salt) and picar (cut). It can be sweet or savoury.

Hollandaise;

Hot sauce made from emulsified egg yolks and clarified butter. It is the foundation for numerous other sauces.

Veloute Sauce;

Sauce made from white veal, fish or chicken stock thickened with roux. It is the foundation for numerous other sauces.

Choron;

A revolutionary chef in the 19th century from Caen who became chef de cuisine at Voisin.

He is famous in part for a Christmas Eve Menu in 1870 which included animals from the Paris Zoo including; Kangaroo, Wolf, Elephant and Antelope.

Choron also invented a sauce which is an emulsified hot sauce used with eggs, fish and steak.

Voisin;

Paris’ best restaurant for the mid 19th century to 1930. It was favoured by among other people Zola and the Prince of Wales.

Tian;

A Provencal Earthenware dish used in the oven. Multitude of shapes but usually square or rectangular with raised edges.

Gastrique;

Vinegar and sugar reduced to almost nothing. It is usually used with dishes using fruit (such as duck with cranberries).

Parmentier, Antoine Augustin;

Born 1737; Died 1813.

One of the greatest proponents of the potato; legend was that he had ‘invented’ the potato. Not quite but nonetheless a major advocate of its many uses. It was widely cultivated for 200 years before he was even born though not widely in France. (I think only two provinces had potatoes in them before Parmentier. But he changed all that!

He became an advocate after being held as a prisoner of war during the 7 Years’ War. He went onto advocate the use of the potato to stave off famine. In France, due to Parmentier it became favoured first by the King (who signaled his approval of it by wearing a potato flower on his jacket), then the Aristocracy (who proceeded to plant it on their own estates) and then only after a dinner held in honour of Ben Franklin at Les Invalides did the lay people accept it. Numerous dishes bear his name. He also did work outside of the potato with such things are the artichoke and maize.

Les Invalides;

A Parisian Military Complex filled mainly with museums and monuments but also a veteran’s hospital.

Stage;

An Apprenticeship in another restaurant usually in a city different from your own and more often in a foreign country.

These my friends are only some of the terms I learned. But these are the biggies.

I was going to post a picture today of my two hands. They have been cut, calloused, nicked and torn. Both Exec Chef and Head Chef have told me not to do anything with them, as it is imperative that my hands get tougher. I know have a callous growing on my callous on my left hand and a massive slice on my right. I have about four little nicks and cuts on both hands and got a bad burn on my left hand yesterday.

All in all a great first week.

Lucretius once wrote; “Quod ali cibus est aliis fuat acre venenum” which means; “What is food to one may be fierce poison to others.”

It is my fervent wish that you all have an inspired day!