Pastryscoop

The French term for shaping a yeast dough to give it its final shape and appearance.

A temperature scale created by German physicist Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit in which 32° represents freezing temperature for water and 212° represents boiling temperature for water.

A flour/meal made from cereal grains. It can be boiled to make a simple breakfast dish.

A triangular slice of a griddle cake that is made from oatmeal or flour. The farl is Scottish in origin.

A fresh mild cheese made from pasteurized milk. It can be used as a low-fat substitute for cream cheese.

A popular fried pastry in Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, served traditionally on Fat Tuesday, the day before lent. Though fasnachts look similar to doughtnuts, they may also be diamond-shaped. They can be made in many flavors, although traditionally they are made with potatoes.

A synthetic product that is used to replace fat in food. Simplesse, leanesse, and olestra are three types of fat substitutes.

A French term for potato starch. It is made by cooking, drying, and then grinding potatoes. It is used as a thickener and must be heated to thicken and to get rid of the starchy taste.

Originally from South America, this small green fruit has a complex, sweet flavor. The bitter peel can be removed to reveal cream colored flesh surrounding a jelly-like center.

The process in which yeast consumes starch and sugar and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide is what raises bread and other yeast products. Alcohol provides the flavor.

A French term for puff pastry or an item made with it.

A loaf of bread resembling the baguette, but at half the length.

A sweet fruit filled with tiny edible seeds that has a round or oval shape. Figs can be any color from cream to green to dark purple. Figs are in season from June to October, but they can be found dried or canned year-round.

See hazelnut.

See phyllo.

The proofing that allows the fermentation to reach its peak before baking. To test a piece of dough to see if it is proofed, it should be double in size and a gentle poke with a finger should leave a slight indentation.

French meaning “banker’s style.” The term is applied to haute cuisine dishes made with expensive ingredients. Financière preparations are often served in vols-au-vents (made out of puff pastry).

A test for sugar syrup describing the point at which a drop of boiling syrup immersed in cold water forms a firm but pliable ball. On a candy thermometer, the firm-ball stage is between 244° and 248°F.

The initial fermentation period after mixing a yeast dough.

Food of the sea

A mixture of equal parts ground cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and szechuan peppercorns, frequently used in Chinese cooking.

The French term for “flamed” or “flaming” is a dramatic method of food presentation consisting of sprinkling certain foods with liquor, and igniting them just before serving.

A famous Spanish baked custard coated with caramel. See crème caramel.

1. A thin Scandinavian cracker-like bread made with rye flour. 2. A generic term for thin bread, both leavened and unleavened, such as chapati, focaccia, lavash, pizza, pita bread, naan, fougasse, etc.

scoops of ice cream in a glass topped with soda pop or other carbonated beverages—vanilla ice cream with root beer is the classic combination

A French dessert of sponge cake that has been soaked in liqueur and spread with jam, “floating” in a pool of custard and topped with nuts and whipped cream. Or it can refer to sweetened egg whites, poached in milk and placed in a pool of thin custard. In French, the former dessert is île flotante, the latter oeufs à la neige.

A cookie made with honey, almonds, caramelized sugar, cream, and candied fruit. Sometimes they are dipped in chocolate.

The finely ground meal made from seeds, grain, roots, or nuts. It gives the structure and framework to pastries and bread. Only flours derived from wheat and rye contain enough protein to make yeast-risen products. See all-purpose flour, bleached flour, bread flour, cake flour, corn flour, and self-rising flour.

Flowers that are not poisonous and have not been sprayed with pesticides. Not all flowers can be eaten. The following are some of the flowers that are edible: roses, mums, lilacs, carnations, violas, pansies, hyacinth, marigolds, snap dragons, and many other.

A sandwich created in 1961 by Durkee-Mower, Inc., that is made by spreading Marshmallow Fluff on a slice of bread and peanut butter on another slice and putting them together.

A stewed fruit pudding that has been thickened with cornstarch. The British version of a flummery is a sweetened and thickened smooth oatmeal.

A cake that relies on an egg foam for leavening. Examples of an egg foam cake are angel food and genoise.

A flat yeast-leavened bread that is brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, and often other toppings, such as rosemary, after proofing.

To gently combine ingredients so as not to deflate or disturb the mixture. It is best to work in a large bowl and to fold in ingredients in stages. Always add the lighter mixture on top of the heavy mixture–e.g. whipped cream goes over pastry cream.

Made from simple syrup and cream of tartar, fondant is a pliable icing used to make decorations and cover cakes. Because the process of making fondant is fairly involved, most bakers opt to purchase commercial brands.

French for “melt.” Fondue typically refers to a sweet or savory sauce that has been warmed in either a fondue pot or other vessel that is served communal-style with fresh fruit, crudité, cake, or French bread placed on skewers for dipping. Cheese fondue consists of melted cheese, seasonings, and often wine or liqueur. Chocolate fondue is melted chocolate and cream, and sometimes liqueur. Fondue bourguigonne is a variation wherein cubes of beef are cooked in a pot of hot oil and used to dip into other sauces.

Edible dyes used to give color or a tint to food.

A kitchen appliance, brought to the United States from France, that can chop, slice, grind, and puree food very quickly.

An English dessert made from a cooked and strained fruit puree that is lightened with whipped cream. This dish is served cold.

A Chinese-American creation consisting of a wafer cookie that has been baked on a griddle and folded around a strip of paper with a fortune printed on it while the cookie is still warm. The cooled cookie is crisp and must be broken to reveal the prediction inside.

A French term for strawberry and for a wild strawberry brandy.

The act of smearing a dough between the heel of ones hand or a bowl scraper and the table to finish incorporating fat into a dough.

A French term for raspberry. It is also the name of a clear brandy flavored with either wild or cultivated raspberries.

A clear, golden-colored, hazelnut-flavored liqueur enhanced with a secret formula of flower and berry essences.

A pastry cream flavored with ground almonds. Also a choux-like dough made from egg yolks, flour, butter, and milk.

This refers to fruits whose flesh will easily separate from the pit.

Many varieties of bread that are made with yeast and contain water instead of milk. They are considered lean breads.

A meringue made when raw sugar is beaten into egg whites. It is the most delicate meringue.

A breakfast dish of bread that has been dipped in a mixture of milk and eggs and fried to a golden brown. It is often flavored with cinnamon and served with syrup.

A highly perishable moist form of yeast that is sold in .06 ounce cubes, 2 ounce cakes, or 1 pound blocks. It has a shelf life of around two weeks if kept under proper refrigeration. See yeast.

The French term for a confection served after the dessert course.

A small fried cake made by dipping foods into a batter or combining chopped foods into the batter. Sweet fritters are usually made with fruit.

to cover a cake with frosting

A sweet granulated or confectioner’s suger-based mixture that is used to fill and top cakes. Frostings may be made with butter, eggs, milk, and flavoring.

A by-product of fruits and honey. It is very sweet substance that can be purchased in a granulated or syrup form.

Any brandy made from fermented fruit or flavored with fruit before distilling is a fruit brandy. Calvados, framboise and kirsch are common fruit brandies.

a spread made with fruit, sugar, and spices that has been stewed until smooth and thick

A Scandinavia dish made by cooking fruit with water, wine, milk, spices, and/or other flavorings until fruit is softened, then pureeing and straining it into a fine liquid. The soup may be served either hot or cold.

A very dense holiday cake filled with nuts, candied fruits, and fruit rinds. It is brushed with liquor after it bakes and can last for years.

to cook food over moderately high to high heat in a small amount of hot fat

Also known as a skillet, a frying pan is a shallow pan used to fry food. It’s low sides gently slope outward to prevent steam from collecting within the pan. The pan typically has a long handle and comes in a variety of sizes: 8, 10, and 12 inches, being the most common.

A sweet confection made from sugar, butter, cream, and corn syrup. Though fudge is traditionally flavored with chocolate, maple, butterscotch, and vanilla are also popular.

A green/yellow apple with red blushes that has a sweet flavor and juicy, crisp flesh.

A pastry made by pouring strings of batter through a funnel into hot fat. Once brown, they are served hot, often with powdered sugar or maple syrup.

This cylindrical green melon is covered in fine fuzz outside and has cream-colored, mildly flavored flesh. Originally from China, the fuzzy melon is about 8 inches long and 3 inches thick.