Sometimes plain English simply isn’t sufficient to describe what’s going on in a recipe. I’m frequently googling weird and wonderful ingredients and terms on menus. Here is a little list of quite posh terminology to help you along the way:

Bain-Marie – a water bath to cook in, creating steam. For example, a deep baking tray filled with water, in which you place a ceramic baking dish containing something delicate like a crème brulee.

Bouillon – Stock.

Consommé – A clear soup made from stock. Made by skimming the surface of the liquid to remove the sediment. Chefs often use an egg white to aid this process.

En papillote – A folded paper pouch used to cook food, commonly fish.

Gremolata –  Finely chopped parsley, garlic and lemon juice, sometimes including anchovy. It is a condiment or garnish for cooked meats or fish.

Julienne – A style of cutting vegetables, into matchstick size. Chefs often use julienne cut vegetables in clear soups.

Mirepoix – A mix of diced vegetables used as a base for cooking and flavouring meats. Commonly comprises onion, carrot and celery.

Roux – A thickener for sauces made by combining equal parts butter and flour and cooking for two minutes. Here is an example of a making a roux.

Velouté – A white sauce which is one of the five “mother sauces” in French cuisine. It is made by mixing a roux with a light stock.

Witloof – Also known as Chicory (British) or Endive (French) . Witloof is a Dutch name that can be translated as “white leaf”. The red leaf variety of witloof is Radicchio. You can eat witloof raw as a salad vegetable, sliced and served as a warm vegetable. It is commonly enjoyed with cheese as a vegetarian gratin The core at the root end is very bitter.