The lingua franca of the kitchen

From deglacer to the dish pit, from crowning a tomato to court bouillon, from fariner to forcemeat, the world of culinary arts has its own language. It's a language one must learn quickly, a mix of French terms and long-used English terms that standardize the discussion in the kitchen.

The lingua franca of the kitchen is no more or less arcane than that in many other professions, trades and crafts: It is mostly functional though sometimes awkward, mostly logical though sometimes archaic and mostly takes time to catch onto though not in culinary school.

At the California Culinary Academy, the catching-onto is aided by frequent quizzes in which we students must write definitions of the mostly French terminology and by daily use of the language in class and our cooking exercises.

For example, one does not simply cut a carrot. Rather, one can julienne a carrot; battonet a carrot; large, medium or small dice a carrot; brunoise a carrot; oblique cut a carrot; bias cut a carrot.

As the Chef might put it: "Battonet carrots for sauté to go with the pommes duchesse and the chicken ballotine grandmere and a pan sauce."

That is: Cook carrot sticks by simmering in water and completing in melted butter in a frying pan to go with potato purée piped into elegant shapes and baked golden brown and a roll of boneless chicken stuffed with a mousse of chicken and flavorful additions, seared and roasted, served with a sauce made from the pan drippings and other flavor enhancers.

Getting a handle on the lingua franca of the culinary arts brings an energy and an inviting peek at the broad and deep base of knowledge it takes to work in a restaurant kitchen.

T.G.I.F.? Not this week

"So, are you feeling good about Friday?"

Chef Tony Marano of the California Culinary Academy asked me that as he watched me parboil a tomato for concasse as part of my preparation for his upcoming knife-skills practical exam.

Minutes earlier the man critiqued my tray -- skin in the onion ciseler, unevenly cut potatoes battonet, carrots julienne still cut larger than the specifications (1/8 of an inch gets smaller and smaller as we get older, no?).

After that, how could he ask the question? Here's how: It was meant purely as encouragement from an educator who loves his profession and wants to see his students come to that affection, too. And I do, Chef, I do. I just wish there were one, maybe two extra days in the week for practice before Friday.

(Photo: the soon-to-be victims and the weapons of my kitchen mayhem.)

What comes after good? Great, of course

We boiled water today in culinary class, our first use of fire on just the fourth day into our studies.

Actually, Chef Tony boiled the water; we students used it to blanch tomatoes so we could practice tomato concassé. That's one of 10 basic cuts and shapes we are learning in Culinary Arts Foundations I. Each has a name, is precise in method and outcome and helps form the foundation of all the cooking and food preparation we will undertake going forward.

After a rough start Tuesday on the battonet, my cutting work is improving. Chef Tony said so himself, when he saw the results of my ciseler -- that's the dicing of an onion, something I already knew how to do, sort of. I asked Chef when he came 'round for an inspection if my ciseler looked good. "Yes, good," he responded. "Not great."

He wants great, and so do I. A few onions will meet their ciseler this weekend in my kitchen.

(Photo credit: mon-chef-a-moi.com)

Pumpkins and apples and squash, oh my!

Autumn is bringing welcome additions to the Fillmore Farmers' Market in San Francisco.

Pumpkins and other winter squash should begin appearing in abundance. Pumpkins, by the way, are for much more than Halloween and jack 'o lanterns. As the season gets going, I plan to use them for soups, side dishes and roasted pepitas. Stay tuned for some recipes.

Several vendors had apples last week, and more are expected as the harvest gets going.

And the squash -- acorn, butternut and other varieties -- ought to start piling up. Squash are great to have around, because they can keep for weeks, if the skin isn't pierced, and they supply delicious and sweet tastes for soups, garnishes and in combination with other ingredients. My acorn squash and quinoa recipe will appear here in the near future.

Meantime, though, at Saturday's market, I will be on the lookout for big white potatoes and carrots. Why? Because my culinary school practical exam on 10 cuts and shapes -- including julienne, tourné, battonet and paysanne -- will be in a week. Practicing -- and the yummy results including cream of carrot soup and, perhaps, potato leek soup -- will be a top priority for the next week.

(Photo credit: ehow.com)