à l'anglaise [ah-la-an-glaz]

A French phrase meaning something cooked "in the English manner." It can refer to wildly different cooking methods with no real common element, except that in the French mind it's how the English would cook that particular food item.

• boiled and served with no sauce;
• rolled in breadcrumbs after being dipped in flour then a mixture of egg, salt, pepper and oil - called anglaise;
• poached;
• fish coated with oil or butter, grilled, and served simply with butter

Also À l'Anglaise (French) All'inglese (Italian) A la inglesa (Spanish)

à la [ah lah, ah luh; Fr. a la]

• prepared in the manner of, to the taste of, or by: chicken à la provençale.
• prepared with the ingredient

à la Boulangère

Originally French for any dish baked in the oven (literally "in the manner of the baker's wife). Presently means potatoes and onions cooked with meat in stock.

à la broche [ah lah BROHSH]

French for "spit-roasted." When used in reference to smaller dishes, means cooked on a skewer over flame; When used in reference to larger meats, it can mean spit-roasted.

à la carte [ah luh kahrt, al-uh; Fr. a la kart]

on the cart; (with a separate price for each dish offered on the menu: dinner à la carte)

à la diable [dee-AH-bl], diable sauce; highly spiced

• a basic espagnole sauce with the addition of wine, vinegar, shallots and red or black pepper - served with broiled meat or poultry
• refers to a French method of preparing poultry by grilling a split bird, which is then sprinkled with breadcrumbs and broiled until brown. The bird is served with diable sauce.

Cooked in a cream (Béchamel) sauce with green pepper or pimiento and mushrooms.

à la lyonnaise [ly-uh-NAYZ; lee-oh-NEHZ]

Dish with fried shredded onion as a major ingredient. A French term for "in the manner of Lyons," a city in central France known for its excellent food. It refers to dishes prepared or garnished with onions, such as pommes lyonnaise, which are sliced potatoes fried with onions.

A la Marinera (ah-la-mah-ree-neh-rah)

Common style of cooking in Spanish/Peruvian cuisine. Usually a seafood based sauce, cooked with white wine, onions and sometimes tomatoes.

à la mode [ah luh mohd, al-uh-; Fr. a la mawd]

• (of pie or other dessert) served with a portion of ice cream, often as a topping: apple pie à la mode.
• (of beef) larded and braised or stewed with vegetables, herbs, etc., and served with a rich brown gravy.

Also, a la mode, alamode

a la Plancha (ah-la-plahn-chah)

A Spanish cooking phrase that refers to the method of grilling meat on a cast-iron skillet using dry heat.

À la Provençal [prov-on-sal]

The term À la Provençal describes a dish utilizing food which flourishes in the area of Provence (a French maritime province famed for its wines and cuisine), namely tomatoes, onions, garlic, and olives.

a la Royale

Prepared in the royal style; typically a velouté sauce with truffles, served on poached fish or poultry.

À la Russe

Refers to a sauce or a way of serving a meal.

• Service à la russe (French, literally "service in the Russian style") is a method of dining that includes courses being brought to the table sequentially.
• In refering to a sauce, it means served with Remoulade Sauce (the classic version, not the Cajun version) to which horseradish has been added.

Ababai is the original term Caribbean natives used for the papaya fruit. "Papaya" was derived from "ababai" and some regions in the Caribbean still use the word today.

Abaisée

• a French term for a sheet of puff pastry which has been rolled very thinly.
• refers to a thin slice of sponge cake used in a dessert.

Abalone [ab-uh-loh-nee]

• A large mollusk of the genus Haliotis, having a bowllike shell bearing a row of respiratory holes, the flesh of which is used for food and the shell for ornament and as a source of mother-of-pearl.
• Any of various large edible marine gastropods of the genus Haliotis, having an ear-shaped shell with a row of holes along the outer edge. The colorful pearly interior of the shell is often used for making ornaments. Also called ear shell.

Absinthe [ab-sinth]

A green liqueur, 68 percent alcohol, having a bitter anise or licorice flavor and a high alcohol content, prepared from absinthe and other herbs, and now prohibited in many countries because of its toxicity.

Acetomel is a sweet and sour syrup, made from vinegar and honey, used in preserving fruit such as apples, grapes, pears and quinces. The flavor combination has survived from the Middle Ages.

From the Latin, "acetum," meaning vinegar, and "mel" meaning "honey."

acidify [uh-sid-uh-fahy]

To make a dish sour or more sour (using lemon juice or vinegar).

Acidulate [uh-sij-uh-leyt]

To make or become slightly acid. In cooking, the acid can be a vinegar, a citrus juice or even wine. Acidulation may be used for the following cooking instances.

• Acidulate for Safety: used in preserving food during the canning process by boosting the acid content. This process is achieved with white vinegar and requires the most acid. Always follow the safety directions on your preserving guide.
• Acidulate for Appearance: used to stop sliced or cut food from browning. In this case, altering the taste is not the objective, and it requires the least amount of acid.
• Acidulate for Flavor: used to give food a more tart taste, making it taste lighter and fresher, as lemon juice does. This requires more acid than just maintaining appearance.

acidulated water [uh-sij-uh-leyt-ed waw-ter]

Acidulated water is a cold water solution where some sort of acid – such as lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar – is added. The mixture is used to prevent fruits or vegetables from browning when they are exposed to air. Fruits and vegetables which are often placed in acidulated water are: apples, avocados, and pears. When the food is removed from the solution, it will resist turning brown for at least an hour or two, even though it is being exposed to oxygen. The goal is just to prevent discoloration, not preservation. Items that are going to be cooked are usually not acidulated, as there is no need for them to maintain their original color.

To make the solution, use 5 parts water to 1 part acid.

aerate (ER-ayt)

To sift by passing dry ingredients through a fine-mesh strainer so large pieces can be removed. The process also incorporates air to make ingredients like flour, lighter.

aftertaste [af-ter-teyst]

A taste remaining after the substance causing it is no longer in the mouth.

agar [ah-gahr, ag-er]

A gelatinlike product of certain seaweeds, used for solidifying certain culture media, as a thickening agent for ice cream and other foods, as a substitute for gelatin, in adhesives, as an emulsifier, etc.

Also, agar-agar. Also called Chinese gelatin, Chinese isinglass, Japanese gelatin, Japanese isinglass.