Operation Manual
B
Bain marie
This gentle cooking technique can be
used either on the hob (e.g. for making
sauces or melting butter or chocolate) or
in the oven (e.g. for baking puddings or
custard). It involves placing a heatproof
container with the food you want to cook
inside a larger one partly filled with
water kept at simmering point.
Blind baking
A pastry case is baked before adding a
moist filling in order to prevent the base
from becoming soggy.
C
Caul fat
A lacy, fatty membrane that surrounds
the intestines of pigs, cows and sheep.
Available from traditional butchers, it is
wrapped around faggots, patés, crépinettes
and even some meat roasts before cooking
to keep them moist and basted.
J
Juliennes
Fruit or vegetables cut into thin sticks.
A julienne disc is available for your
Magimix food processor.
K
Knocking back
In breadmaking, punching all the gas
and air pockets out of risen dough to give
it a more even texture.
P
Piping bag
A triangular or cone-shaped cloth,
plastic or paper bag that can be fitted
with a variety of nozzles. It is used for
decorating cakes, filling pastries, forming
meringues or sponge fingers, shaping
duchess potatoes, etc.
Proving
In breadmaking, the dough is left to rise
twice. The second time gives the yeast a
chance to “prove” that it is still alive and
improves the texture of the bread.
R
Reduction
A liquid (e.g. syrup, stock or sauce) is
simmered over a moderate heat, causing
some of the water to evaporate, in order to
thicken it and/or concentrate the flavour.
Rice flour
Widely available in supermarkets, this
gluten-free flour is useful for thickening
stews and sauces.
Roux
Used to thicken soups, sauces and gravies,
a roux is a mixture of equal parts of flour
and fat (often butter) cooked over a low
heat.
S
Sandwich tin
Not for holding your packed lunch, but
a round, straight-sided cake tin, ideal for
making Victoria sponges.
Y
Yeast
In this recipe book, we recommend
using fresh yeast, which can be found in
supermarket bakeries. Fresh yeast will only
keep for a few days in the fridge, but you
can freeze it in small batches. Dried yeast
is widely available and keeps for up to six
months. If you are using dried yeast, halve
the quantities shown for fresh yeast.
Glossary
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