Gateau au chocolat-Chocolate cake with the intense flavor of a truffle and the texture of a mousse.
Gateau aux trois chocolates-Chocolate cake made with white, milk, and dark chocolate.
Gelee-Gelatin used as an aspic in savory dishes or as a dessert with a base of fruit, wine, or liqueur.
Gnocchi-A hot baked dish served au gratin. In France,
Gougere bourguignonne-A bread made from cream puff dough with grated gruyere cheese, it is shaped into balls or into a wreath. It is served as an hors d’oeuvre or appetizer.
Gratin-A method of cooking in which grated cheese, white sauce, or bread crumbs added to the top of an oven-cooked dish turn golden and crusty from the heat.
Gratin dauphinois-Sliced potatoes cooked au gratin with a white sauce and grated cheese.
Gruyere-A cheese that is made of heated milk and is shaped into a large wheel. In taste and appearance, it is similar to “Swiss” cheese. Gruyere itself does not have an AOC (
Haricots verts-Green beans both narrower and sweeter than the common North American varieties. Their season runs from May to October, although imports from Kenya or Senegal may be purchased during the winter months.
Ile flottante-Floating island; a dessert consisting of meringues “floating” in a lake of creme anglaise.
Jambon au cidre-Ham cooked in hard cider.
Joue de lotte-Jowls of the monkfish.
Laurier-Bay leaf.
Limoncello-Italian liqueur made from fermented lemons. The best limoncello comes from the Amalfi Coast and the island of Capri.
Macaroni-French elbow macaroni is smaller than its American equivalent. As a side dish, it is usually served buttered with chives.
Magret de canard-A tender filet of meat taken from the breast of a duck. It is cooked much like a steak and served rare.
Maury wine-A sweet wine fortified with clear brandy, and made from Grenache noir grapes in the Maury commune in the Cotes du Roussillon-Villages area of southern France. The wines have notes of red fruits, cocoa, and coffee. It may also be drunk as an aperitif.
Mille feuille-A dish traditionally made of flaky pastry layered with fillings. The dessert version contains sweet fillings such as pastry cream or whipped cream and is topped with fondant or powdered sugar. Contemporary versions of Mille feuille may also be made with savory fillings, or may use an alternative to the layers of flaky pastry, as in the recipe that follows this section.
Mont d’Or-or Vacherin du Haut Doubs, this dessert cheese has an AOC by which the government controls the place, method of fabrication, and quality of the cheese. Mont d’Or lies near the Swiss border, and this winter cheese has been made in that region for two centuries. Sold in a box and encircled by a length of pine wood, it continues to ripen until it is eaten. It is produced over a period of three weeks and then finished on spruce planks, where it is regularly flipped and rubbed with a canvas soaked in brine.
Moules marinaire-Mussels cooked in a marinade of white wine, butter, thyme, bay leaf, onion, and parsley.
Mousse de potiron au gingembre-Pumpkin and ginger mousse.
Navarin d’agneau-A ragout of mutton or lamb cooked with potatoes and vegetables. Traditionally made in the spring with baby vegetables, it is seasoned with white wine, garlic, nutmeg, and a bouquet garni.
Oeufs en gelee-Hard-cooked eggs halved and then individually molded with Madeira-flavored gelatin, ham, and an assortment of chopped vegetables.
Pains au chocolat-Flaky croissant-like butter pastry baked around tablets of dark chocolate.
Pate-Most often based on meat (pork, veal, fowl, game, and/or their variety meats), traditionally, a pate is a meat stuffing wrapped in dough and baked. It may or may not be molded; it may be served hot or cold. A looser definition includes a pate meant to be served in slices, cooked in a terrine dish and served cold, known as
Pate de lapin aux noisettes-Pate of rabbit with hazelnuts, seasoned with Porto, sausage, chicken livers, onions, chervil, thyme, and bay leaf.
Pintade aux figues seches-Guinea fowl cooked with dried figs. A guinea fowl may be used as a substitute in recipes using pheasant or partridge.
Poulet roti-Roasted chicken most commonly prepared on a rotisserie.
Profiteroles-These miniature cream puffs may be stuffed with savory filling and served as an appetizer or with pastry cream, whipped cream, or jam and served as a dessert. Most common is a filling of vanilla ice cream with a garnish of hot chocolate sauce.
Ragout-A dish combing two cooking methods: browning and simmering. The food is first browned, and then slowly simmered in an aromatic liquid. Flour is used as a thickening agent.
Ratatouille-A ragout of vegetables originating from Nice in southern France, it includes onions, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants seasoned with garlic, olive oil, bay leaf, and thyme. Ratatouille is often used as an accompaniment for meats. It may be served hot or cold.
Rillettes-A spread traditionally made from pork or goose cooked in its own grease. It may be spread on grilled bread as an hors d’oeuvre, used as an ingredient in canapes, or used to make sandwiches. Rillettes from the area of Tours are darker and of finer texture than those from Mans or Sarthe in southern France. A stamp of
Roquefort-A blue cheese and the first cheese in France to be given an AOC, which controls the place, method of fabrication, and quality of the product. Roquefort is ripened in natural caves in Mont Combalou in the commune of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon for at least three months, but generally from four to nine months.
Salade composees-A salad served as an appetizer that has been artfully arranged on individual plates and that generally uses a wide variety of ingredients such as meat, liver, shellfish, foie gras, lettuce, potatoes, apples, mushrooms, etc.
Sauce bearnaise-A sauce made of egg yolks, butter, and lemon and seasoned with shallots, tarragon, chervil, thyme, bay leaf, white wine vinegar, and white wine. This sauce should be made just before serving and should obtain the consistency of mayonnaise.
Saumur-champigny-From the Anjou-Saumur region of the Loire Valley, this wine is a light, lively red with notes of red currant and is made from a blend of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon grapes. It may be produced in any of nine communes within the Saumur-Champigny district. Wines carrying this designation must be aged at least a year. This wine is a good accompaniment for duck.
Sauternes-A white dry, sweet wine from the Sauternes, Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, or Preignac subregions of Bordeaux. The best come from Sauternes and Barsac. Made from a blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc grapes, a later harvest in fall allows the development of mold on the fruit, which dehydrates them, thereby concentrating the sugar in the juice. Due to the concentration of sugar, the fermentation process may require up to a year, after which it is aged for at least two years in a cask.
Sorbets-An iced dessert made from sugar syrup and a fruit puree or fruit juice, wine, or alcohol. A sorbet recipe may also incorporate a meringue to give volume to the mixture.
Sorbet des agrumes-A sorbet of citrus fruits, including oranges, grapefruit, mandarins, clementines, lemons, kumquat, Satsuma, and tangelos.
Tagliatelle-Fettucine. Made from egg dough, this pasta is formed into large ribbons; the pasta may be colored green with the addition of spinach to the dough.
Terrine-Traditionally, a pate to be served sliced made with pork, fowl, or game. Currently, the term is also applied to molded dishes made with fish, shellfish, or vegetables, which often use gelatin to bind the ingredients.
Three-star restaurant-France’s Michelin company rates restaurants each year on two scales: luxury and quality of food. The luxury scale rates from one to five crossed knives and forks; the food scale rates from one to three
