Kitchen Confidential

I recently finished Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain. As a child reading plenty, I would commit to a pronounciation in my head for various names in the book, right or wrong. The point is that I was okay glossing over an incidental like name pronounciation. Bourdain uses a lot of French for the dishes and preparations of food, plus some culinary jargon. My English dictionaries didn't really help, so I abided. Until now. Now, if you ever go to Les Halles, Bourdain's restaurant at the time of publishing, you might know what you're ordering.

Moules marinieres: Mussels in a butter, garlic, shallot, white wine sauce. Vichyssoise: cold potato leek soup. Beurre noisette: a hazelnut colored reduced butter. Saucisson a l'ail: garlic pork sausage. Boudin noir: blood or black sausage. Lobster Thermidor. From the French Republican month. Gallantine: Made of lean pieces of poultry, game, pork, veal or rabbit, mixed with a forcemeat containing eggs, spices, and other ingredients, and pressed into a symmetrical shape. Aspic. Ballottine. Rillettes: Essentially a Veja-link spread. Pommes dauphinoise: potatoes au gratin. Bearnaise sauce: not Hollandaise sauce. Confit: great fun, who doesn't want to be cooked and sealed in their own fat? Beef Parmentier: not Vern Parmenter, but eponymous for Jean Pommes de Terre-Seed. Bagna Cauda. Navarin: The French term for a rich mutton or lamb stew which has been cooked with root vegetables, usually including small onions or potatoes. au Poivre: with pepper. Magret du Moulard: the breast of a fat Moulard, a cross between a Pekin and Muscovy duck. Pieds du Cochon: pig feet. Cassoulet: pork and beans. Livornaise: Sauce with egg yolks, anchovy paste, and olive oil. Sabayon: eggs whipped with a liquid, wine maybe. Tete du Porc: pig head. Clafoutis: a fruit flan.

Thank you for your patience.