Jicama: A root vegetable with a brown skin, bulbous tubular in nature, that has a nutty flavor with a taste and texture sorta like a cross between an apple and a potato.
Julienne: Cutting vegetables, meats and cheeses into long, thin strips...oh, around three inches long.
Jus: Juice leftover in the pan from cooked meats, sometimes adding wine to deglaze, reheated and thicken with a slurry, turning it into a sauce for the cooked meats.
Langouste: Darlin’s, that’s French for spiny lobster, which has no claws...quite different from our Maine Lobsters.
Liaison: It’s your standard basic process of thickening sauces, soups and stews with either a roux, slurry, eggs, heavy cream, or other types of starch.
Lyonnaise: French for dishes with onions cooked golden brown, seasoned with wine, garlic and parsley.
Macerate: The process of soaking fruits, meats or vegetables in wines, liquors or syrups, to allow the foods to absorb moisture, thus infusing the flavors.
Maitre d’ Hotel Butter: Soften butter incorporated with minced parsley and garlic, lemon zest and juice, then molded into a roll form (for easy access) and chilled to re-harden.
Marzipan: An almond paste made with pulverized almonds, powder sugar, soften butter and whipped, thick peaked egg whites. Used for coating cakes and candy.
Mascarpone: A rich, fresh Italian triple cream cheese that resembles solidified whipped cream.
Menudo: A rich, spicy Mexican meat stock broth soup made with Tripe, hominy, and hot peppers. Eat two big bowls of this stuff after a night of partying, and it’ll kill your buzz in a heartbeat.
Milanese: Italian style of any food dipped in raw egg and seasoned parmesan cheese breadcrumbs, then pan fried in butter.
Mirepoix: A mixture of chopped, diced or minced (depending on type of dish it’s flavoring) carrots, celery and onions.
Mole: Mexican and Latin American style of super thick sauces made with different types of chiles that are seasoned with chocolate, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, various nuts and seeds. Use to cook with pork, chicken or beef.
Mornay Sauce: Bechamel sauce incorporated and heated with melted Gruyere cheese and raw eggs to create a rich, full body sauce.
