BABA: Sponge cake soaked with rum or rum-flavored syrup.

BABEURRE: See buttermilk.

BADIANE: Star anise. Badiane is stronger than regular anise but is used
    the same way.

BAGUETTE: A long, thin loaf of bread.

BAIE: Berry.

BAIN-MARIE: A double boiler, often used to keep food too hot to let
    bacteria grow but not hot enough to overcook. Bain-marie come in
    many sizes.

BAKE: To cook by surrounding with heated air.

BAKED ALASKA: A baked dessert of ice cream on sponge cake completely
    covered with a thick layer of meringue.

BALLON: Food which has been ground and rolled into a ball shape.

BALLOTINE: Meat which has been ground, seasoned and prepared and rolled
    into a loaf. Ballon is to ballotine as a meatball is to meatloaf.

BANADRY: Banana liqueur.

BARATE'E: Churned.

(EN) BARBOUILLE: Food which has been daubed or smeared with sauce or
    blood-thickened sauce.

(A` LA) BAREUZAI: A wine base for cooking red meat.

BASIL: A green herb with a sweet flavor used in many different soups,
    sauces and main dishes. Basil is frequently used in tomato dishes.

BASILIC: See basil.

BASTE: To pour liquid, sometimes liquid drippings, over food in order
    to flavor it and keep it from drying out.

BA^TON/BA^TONNET: A short loaf of French bread.

BATTU/BATTUE: Beaten or whipped.

BAY LEAF: The leaf of a bay or laurel tree. It is often used whole, 
    dried, to flavor stocks, soups, stews and tomato sauces, and is
    removed before the dish is served.

(A` LA) BAYONNAISE: Made with ham, as the people in Bayonne make it.
    Bayonne has long been famous for its fine ham.

BEARNAISE: A famous sauce made with egg yolks, white wine, shallots,
    butter and seasonings. Sometimes spelled Bernaise.

BEAT: To move a spoon or wire whip rapidly back and forth through a
    mixture until it is smooth.

BEAU: Good or beautiful. Belle means the same thing.

BEAUHARNAIS: A sauce made by putting green tarragon butter in Bearnaise
    sauce. Banane Beauharnais is bananas cooked in rum and sugar, topped
    with cream and macaroon cookies.

BEAUJOLAIS: A fine red wine from the region of the same name.

BE'CASSE: Woodcock, a rare game bird.

BECHAMEL: A basic white sauce made of butter, flour and milk. Because
    many other sauces are based on this sauce, it is often called one
    of the "mother" sauces.

BELGIAN ENDIVE: See endive.

BELLE: See beau.

BELLE VUE: An elaborate dish, especially a main dish served in clear
    jelly. Belle vue means beautiful sight.

BELUGA: See caviar.

(OEUFS) BE'NE'DICT: Poached eggs covered with hollandaise sauce, served
    on an English muffin covered with ham.

BE'NE'DICTINE: A famous liqueur invented by Be'ne'dictine monks in the
    16th century. Though the recipe is secret, it is based on brandy,
    and is often mixed with brandy.

(A`LA) BENO^ITON: A sauce made of red wine and onions, served with fish.

(A`LA) BERGE`RE: Country style. Meat baked with potatoes, mushrooms,
     onions and ham. From the word for shepherdess.

(SALADE) BERGERETTE: A salad made of chives, rice and hard-boiled eggs.

BERLINGUETO: Spinach and hard-boiled eggs chopped up and mixed together.

BERNAISE: See Be'arnaise.

BERNY: Potato croquettes used as a garnish. Often accompanied by pepper
      sauce and chestnut or walnut tarts or pure'e. Berny usually 
      accompanies game.

BERTON: A cheese fondue made with garlic and wine.

BEUCHELLE A`LA TOURANGELLE: Kidneys and veal sweetbreads covered in 
                            cream sauce.

BEURRE: Butter.

BIE`RE: Beer. BIE`RE blonde (blownd) is pale-colored beer or ale; bie`re
        brune (brron) is dark beer or ale.

BIFTECK: Steak.

BIND: To make ingredients form a homogenous mixture by adding an 
       ingredient, often a starch. Such ingredients are known as binding
       agents.

BINDING AGENT: See bind, above. An ingredient, usually a starch, which
       causes other ingredients to bind.

BISCOTIN: A sweet or crisp biscuit.

BISCUIT: In French, a light, dry sponge cake, sometimes a cracker.

BISQUE: A very thick soup made with pure'ed seafood and tomato mixed
       with cream, white wine and spices.

BISQUEBOUILLE: Another fish soup made with cream, thickened with eggs
       and spiced with garlic.

BLANC / BLANCHE: White or egg white. Vin blanc is white wine. See blanch.

BLANC DE BLANCS: The term means white of white. It refers to white wine
       made from white grapes. (Wine is usually made from red grapes.)

BLANCH: To cook in boiling water for one or two minutes, until about 
       one-quarter done. Almonds are often blanched.

BLANCHE-NEIGE: A cold dish of poultry or fish coated in a thick cream
       sauce. The name means snow white.

BLANCMANGE: A chilled milk gel flavored with almonds.

BLANQUETTE: A hearty stew made by simmering lamb, seafood, or veal in
       stock, served in a white sauce.

BLE': Corn or wheat. Ble' noir is buckwheat.

BLEND: To mix two or more ingredients so thoroughly that they are no
      longer individually distinguishable.

BLETTE: Swiss chard.

BLEU: Blue. Also, the very rarest (least-cooked) steak.

BLEU CHEESE: A firm, sharp-flavored whitish cheese shot through with
       blue veins.

BLINTZ: A thin pancake (see cre^pe) rolled around a cream cheese or
      fruit and cheese filling.

BLONDE: Pale or light-colored. Often used to describe beer.

BOEUF (sounds like "buff" - the "u" sounded as in purr): Beef. The major
     cuts are aloyau, bifteck, chateaubriand, contrefilet, co^te, culotte,
     entreco^te, filet, pie`ce de boeuf, queue de boeuf, romsteck, 
     tartare, and tournedos. See also (a`la) Bourguignonne.

(A`LA) BOHE'MIENNE: Pheasant stuffed with foie gras and truffles.

BOILED DRESSING: A cooked, oilless salad dressing made by using starch
     or eggs to thicken fruit juice or sometimes milk.

BOISSON: A drink.

BOMBE (GLACE'E): Ice cream made of two different flavors.

BON / BONNE: Good.

BONBON: Any sort of sweet or candy.

BONNE-FEMME: Poultry or fish cooked with onions, mushrooms and potatoes.
      The name means "good woman" or "good wife".

BORDEAUX: A very fine red wine; also, the region in France which 
      developed the grape and gave the wine its name.

(A`LA) BORDELAISE: Bordeaux style. The term almost always means cooked
      in red or white wine. Bordelaise sauce is made of wine, shallots,
      butter and tarragon.

BORSCHT: Cold beet soup, often topped with sour cream.

BOUCHE'E: Bottled wine or cider, as opposed to wine in casks or barrels.
      Also a mouthful -- a tasty tidbit.

(A`LA) BOUCHE`RE: Butcher style. Any dish made with beef.

BOUCOT: A prawn.

BOUDIN: A large sausage or pudding. Boudin noir is dark blood pudding in
      gut; boudin blanc is white meat in cream and eggs.

BOUILLABAISSE: A famous fish soup. It is a combination of many varieties
      of fish, shellfish and eels mixed with tomato, onion, olive oil,
      saffron and herbs.

BOUILLADE: A wine sauce made with garlic and sweet pepper. It is used 
      on fish (as bouillinade) and escargots.

BOUILLANT: Boiling or boiling hot.

BOUILLI / BOUILLIE: Boiled; especially beef boiled in broth (bouillon).

BOUILLINADA / BOUILLINADE: A version of bouillabaisse made with potatoes,
      onions and peppers.

BOUILLON: Stock or broth made from boiling meat. See consomme' and 
      pot-au-feu.

BOULANGERIE: A bakery shop.

BOULAUD: A fruit-filled pastry cake.

BOULE DE NEIGE: A cake or ice cream ball covered with whipped cream. 
      The name means snowball.

BOULETTE: A small ball of food; a croquette.

BOUQUET: 1. The crowning part of a decoration.  2. The "nose" of a wine;
      the distinctive fragrance of each wine.

BOUQUET GARNI: A small bunch of herbs used to flavor soups or stews. It
      is usually tied in a bundle, or sometimes put in a tiny sac so it
      can easily be taken out of the pot.

BOUQUETTE AUX POMMES DE TERRE: Small potato cakes which have been fried
      and are served hot.

(A`LA) BOURGUIGNONNE: Bourgogne style. A meat sauce made of red wine
      and mushrooms. Sometimes boeuf Bourguignonne has bacon or bacon
      crumbles in it as well.

BOUTEILLE: A bottle.

BOUTIFARE / BOUTIFARON: A black pudding made with bacon and herbs.

BRAISE: To cook on glowing charcoal, or with heat above and below. Or
      to cook meat by browning in fat and then simmering in a little 
      liquid in a covered pan.

BRAMAFAM (SALADE): Stuffed artichoke salad made with shrimp, walnuts
      and raw mushrooms.

(EN) BRANCHE: A whole piece. The word refers specifically to vegetable.

BRANDY: A very strong liquor made by distilling wine or fruit juice
     (hence plum or cherry brandy).

BRAZIL NUT: A large, three sided nut with a thick, dark brown shell and
     very white, rather brittle meat.

BREADING: Coating something in flour, then egg wash, then bread crumbs,
     before frying it. Fish a`la Colbert is fried breaded fish.

BREAD KNIFE: A long, thin, slightly flexible knife with a serrated
     (toothed) lower edge and a blunt tip, used for cutting bread.

BREAD PUDDING: Pudding made by pouring sweetened milk or cream over
     chunks of bread.

BRE'CHET: The breastbone. The word refers especially to poultry.

BRE'SI: Beef or veal jerky.

BRESOLLES: Veal with shallots in white wine.

BRETAGNE / (A`LA) BRETONNE: Bretagne is Brittany, the beautiful, wild
     coast of France that faces England. A`la Bretonne means Brittany
     style; with white wine sauce, especially over lamb.

BREW: To make beer by boiling it and allowing it to ferment. Also, to 
     make tea by steeping it in boiling-hot water, or coffee by any of
     several processes using ground coffee and hot water.

BRIE: A famous cheese from the French region of the same name. Brie is
     a flat, round cheese with a soft white rind, pale golden inside. 
     It does not have a sharp smell or taste.

BRIOCHE: A small, round extremely sweet puff pastry filled with 
     sweetened cream.

BROCCANA: Pa^te' made of veal and pork. See pa^te'.

BROCHE: A spit for roasting.

(EN) BROCHETTE: Food which has been cooked, and is sometimes served, 
      on a metal skewer.

BROIL: To cook by placing close beneath a fire or other source of heat.
      Compare with grill.

BROTH: The liquid in which meat, poultry or vegetables have been cooked.

BROUILLADE: Scrambled eggs.

BROUILE'E: Scrambled or mixed.

BROUTARD: A kid; a young goat, also known as a chevreau.

BROWN RICE: Wild rice, usually much shorter than white rice stalks. 
      Brown rice is much more savory than white and doesn't tend to 
      stick, but usually takes longer to cook.

BROWN SUGAR: Partially refined sugar. Sugar which has been completely
      refined is white.

BROYE: Pounded.

BRU^LE / BRU^LEE: Flamed or roasted. Coffee is bru^lee.

BRU^LOT: Flaming brandy. See cafe'.

(SAUCE) BRUNE: See espagnole.

BRUNIOSE: A mix of finely diced or shredded ingredients, especially
      vegetables, used as the basis for a variety of dishes.

BRUT: Raw or unsweetened. Brut champagne is very dry champagne.

BU^CHE: A "log" of sponge cake. Often a Christmas log cake, Bu^che Noel.

(EN) BUISSON: Piled up in a deep dish. The word is commonly used for
      seafood dishes.

BUTTERFLIED FISH: Fillets from both sides of the fish which are still
      attached to one another, rather in the shape of a butterfly's 
      wings. Also, meats cut similarly.

BUTTERMILK: Slightly sour, thick milk with flecks of butter in it, 
      which has been churned from a batch of fresh milk.