Many people wonder what is in the secret sauce of a McDonald’s Big Mac sandwich. Others figure they know exactly what is in the sauce: ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard. Still others figure it’s just a doctored-up Thousand Island dressing. They are not far off, except for the ketchup. The actual ingredients in the special sauce … Read more
The most famous French dish that uses the term ‘au poivre’ is Steak Au Poivre. It means steak with a whole lot of poivre! In this term, ‘au’ is a preposition that means ‘with’ or ‘in the manner of’ and poivre means black pepper. A dish that is ‘au poivre’ is a dish with pepper, … Read more
Au gratin is one of many fancy-sounding French culinary terms to enter English during the 19th century, when a taste for French food, especially among the wealthy, developed in America. When you cook something au gratin or simply gratin, you are not, in reality, doing anything fancy at all. While most Americans think of au gratin … Read more
Burgoo, also known as Kentucky burgoo, is a thick, multi-meat and vegetable stew that is a specialty of Kentucky. A bit like Kentucky’s version of Louisiana gumbo, burgoo can contain any number of meats, such as pork, veal, beef, lamb, poultry, and vegetables such as potatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots, green peppers, okra, lima beans, and okra. Original versions … Read more
Beggar’s purse is the name for an appetizer dish consisting of a mini crepe topped with a teaspoon of high-quality caviar and a dollop of Crème fraîche. The edges of the crepe are pulled up into pleats and tied with strips of chive so that the bite resembles a little purse. This name was used by … Read more
You may see upscale Italian restaurants in the United States offering “crudos” or dishes referred to as “a crudo.” These are often dishes of raw fish or shellfish served as sashimi, carpaccio, or tartare. The term “a crudo” as you will often hear on Food TV, in English, is somewhat nonsensical since it would translate … Read more