French Provincial Cooking - Elizabeth David [52]
Basilic BASIL or SWEET BASIL A very aromatic herb not now much used in northern France but which figures in Provençal cookery, especially in the famous Soupe au Pistou of the Niçois country.
Bergamotte A variety of lemon, from the skin of which is extracted the oil of bergamot used in perfumery, for flavouring sweet dishes and liqueurs and in the confection of sweets such as the famous Bergamottes de Nancy. Bergamotte is also the name of a variety of pear.
Beurre BUTTER The uses of butter in cookery are too well known and too obvious for me to need to go into the question here. The method of clarifying butter for frying is explained on page 72.
Bigarade BITTER or SEVILLE ORANGE Important for the orange sauces which go with wild duck and other game, but for which sweet orange is often substituted.
Blé Corn.
Blé de turquie Indian corn, maize.
Bouquet garni The routine bouquet or faggot of herbs for meat dishes, soups, stews and so on, consists of a bayleaf, two or three sprigs of parsley with their stalks, and a little sprig of thyme tied together with a thread so that it can be extracted after the dish is cooked. A crushed clove of garlic is often included in the bouquet and, in Provençal cooking, a little piece of dried orange peel as well.
Bourrache BORAGE So far as I know, not used in French cookery except in the Niçois district where, in the Italian manner, it may go into the stuffing for ravioli; the leaves may be fried in batter and served as sweet fritters.
Brunoise A mixture of aromatic vegetables such as carrots, leeks, turnips and celery cut into very small dice to form the basis of a soup or a stuffing.
Camomille Used for tisanes or soothing herb teas.
Cannelle CINNAMON The bark of this plant of the laurel family is used both in powdered and in stick form for flavouring creams and cakes.
Câpres CAPERS The best capers in France are considered to be those which come from plants grown in the Var and the Bouches-du-Rhône departments of Provence. They are called nonpareilles. The flower buds are small and round and, when pickled, are still much used for sauces and flavouring in Provençal cookery.
Capucine, Graines de NASTURTIUM SEEDS Sometimes used as a substitute for capers. The leaves of nasturtiums can be used for salads and the flowers are still sometimes used for decorating a dish.
Cardomome, Graines de CARDAMOM SEEDS A highly aromatic spice which goes into curry mixtures and is much used in Arab cookery (sometimes to flavour coffee) and in that of the East Indies. The seeds are encased in hard pods which are put whole into certain Oriental dishes, while for curry powders and other spice mixtures the seeds are taken from the pods and pounded.
Cari, Kari CURRY POWDER This crops up in unexpected places in French cookery, usually in a very mild form, in dishes derived from French colonial cookery.
Carottes CARROTS One of the essential flavouring vegetables for stews, soups and many sauces and stuffings.
Carvi CARAWAY The fruit, usually referred to as the seeds, of this plant of the umbelliferae family are used, like aniseed, for flavouring cakes, creams and liqueurs, and a little bowl of caraway seeds is nearly always served as an accompaniment to the Münster cheese of Alsace.
Cassonnade Soft, unrefined sugar, either from the cane or the beet, Rarely used in modern French cookery.
Cédrat CITRON A large variety of citrus fruit with a very thick, aromatic skin, used mainly in its candied state. Grown in Provence and Corsica, where it is used to flavour a liqueur called cédratine.
Cerfeuil CHERVIL One of the most common herbs of French cookery, nearly always included in the mixture of fines herbes for omelettes, and much used for sprinkling into soups. The flavour is more delicate and elusive than that of parsley but, although it is very easy to grow, it is rare in English herb gardens. The leaves, plucked from the stem rather than chopped,