Bagration (Fr.). A word used to denote high-class dishes (soups). Bagration was a Russian Count, whose chief cook was the celebrated A. Carême.
Bain-marie (Fr.). The culinary water bath. It is a large open vessel, half filled with hot water, in which saucepans containing sauces, etc. are kept so that their contents are nearly at the boiling-point without burning or reducing.
Ballotine (Fr.). Slices of small galantines, usually made from the legs of game or poultry. Small balls or rolls of meat or fowl.
Baraquille (Fr.). A large pie made of rice, chicken and truffles.
Barbecue (Fr.). The mode of cooking (roasting) an animal whole; a social entertainment in the open air; to dress and roast whole.
Barbottes en casserole (Fr.). Stewed eel-pout (Eng.). En casserole also denotes a special process of cooking in a fireproof earthenware pan.
Batons royaux (Fr.). Small patties of minced chicken or game: the favourite dish of Charles XII. of France.
Batterie de cuisine (Fr.). A complete set of cooking utensils and apparatus.
Bavaroise (Fr.). Bavarian cream. A term applied to creams, but incorrectly used unless custard forms their base.
Béarnaise (Fr.). A word much used in cookery for a rich white herb sauce. It is derived from Béarn, one of the provinces into which France was formerly divided, its chief town, Pau, was the birthplace of King Henry IV, a great gourmand.
Béchamel (Fr.). French white sauce. Recognized as one of the four foundation sauces. It is supposed to take its name from the Marquis de Béchamel, an excellent chef, who acted as steward in the service of King Louis XIV.
Beignets (Fr.). Fritters (Eng.). Also a kind of pancake, fried in deep fat.
Blanquette (Fr.). A white fricassee or stew, usually made of veal or fowl, with a white sauce enriched with cream or egg-yolks.
Bombe (Fr.). An iced pudding filled with a rich custard of fruit cream, shape of a bomb.
Bon gout (Fr.). Highly flavoured dishes and sauces. Good taste.
Bordelaise (à la) (Fr.). Name of a French sauce (brown), in which Bordeaux or Burgundy forms one of the ingredients. Also a garnish.
Bouchées (Fr.). " A mouthful." Small puff paste patties (petits pátés).
Boullle à Baisse (Fr.). A kind of fish stew, very popular in France. Thackeray celebrated its virtues in his ballad, which begins:
"This Bouille à baisse, a noble dish is,
A sort of soup, a broth, or stew;
A hotel-potch of all kinds of fishes,
That Greenwich never could outdo," etc.
Bouilli (Fr.). Fresh boiled beef or other meat, but generally speaking boiled beef is understood by the term.
Bouillie (Fr.). Boiled fresh beef with vegetable garnish. A French dish resembling Hasty Pudding.
Bouillon (Fr.). Broth or stock made of veal, beef, or chicken.
Bouquet garni (Fr.). Parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves tied up in a small bunch; used to impart a rich flavour to stews, sauces, etc.
Brioche (Fr.). A light French yeast cake, similar to Bath buns. The favourite French breakfast bun, eaten hot with coffee or tea.
Brioche (à la). Roasted in front of the fire on a spit or skewer.
Buisson (Fr.). A garnish consisting of small groups of shrimps, crayfish, etc. Also applied to a method of twisting up pastry to a point.
Cabillaud farci (Fr.). Stuffed codfish.
Café Vierge (Fr.). An infusion of the whole coffee beans. Pure coffee.
Callipash. The fatty gelatinous substance close to the upper shell of a turtle.
