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The French name for a fish stock. It is usually made with bones and gill-less heads of lean, salt water fish (the flat fish are the most prized), chopped onion and celery, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and white wine. The entire mixture is slowly brought to a boil, skimmed and simmered gently for 20-30 minutes before being strained. Fish Fumet... read more
Literally "to melt" in French. Traditionally a Swiss dish comprised of local cheeses, white wine, garlic, and cornstarch, and melted into a type of thick sauce. Bread is then dipped into the bubbling pot of cheese at the table and eaten. Other types of fondue include: fondue bourgignonne in which guests dip (and cook) raw ingredients into hot broth which is placed in the center of the table. fondue orientale is the same as fondue bourgignonne, but hot oil replaces the simmering broth. read more
French word for a farm. When refering to food, especially cheese, it denotes a farm stead production which is usually small, unique and of high quality. It is the opposite of a large scale inudustrial production, which can sometimes produce high qualtiy products but often do not have the same unique characteristics of a fermier product. read more
Large cow milk cheese made predominately in French-speaking Switzerland and in parts of the French Jura mountains. It has a deep flavor when of high quality and sufficient age. It is used often in French cooking where it is melted into sauces like sauce Mornay. It is also used in many Swiss fondues. read more
A water soluble protein that when mixed with a liquid and chilled becomes firm (or sets up). Good examples are aspic and the ubiquitous Jell-O. It is also essential in sauce making where it helps give body to sauces that are thickened solely by reduction or high heat (i.e. brown sauces). read more
