The Vocabulary of Cooking...H, I, J

Thursday has come around again and with a new batch of culinary terminology for you to learn.  How's it going with your new way of talking about cooking?  I hope you have been very bold and stepped out using new information and impressing others with you knowledge. Remember, we always give you a recipe.  Today's is so yummy you'll want to use it all the time.

Let's get started:

Habaneros are one of the hotter more readily found chiles.

Habanero pepper
CAREFUL!!  They are hot!

Haricot verts is the French term for green beans.

Haricot verts

Heriloom tomatoes are brightly colored and interestingly shaped. They have recently become more popular and readily available in markets. They have a sweeter, less acidic flavor than a regular tomato.

Hoisin sauce is a Chinese dipping or marinade sauce. Hoisin sauce is made from soy, garlic and spices.  It has a pungent, rich, sweet and salty flavor.

Hollandaise is a warm emulsified sauce made from yolks, clarified butter and acid (either lemon or vinegar).  

Pam, Prickly Pear #2, learned how to make Hollandaise Sauce from Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  It is the best.

We hear so many times Hollandaise Sauce is so hard to make.  It really isn't hard at all.  It does not take long to make BUT you need to take your time when making it and following Julia’s step.  If you do, your sauce will turn out every time… PROMISE!

Here is what you need…

Double boiler

Whisk

Ingredients

6- 8 oz butter, which is 1 to 1 ½ sticks of butter. ** I personally always use 1 ½ sticks

3 eggs yokes

2 tablespoon real lemon juice

1 tablespoon cold water

1 tablespoon cold butter

1 tablespoon cold butter

Directions:

1. Cut the 6 to 8 oz butter into pieces and melt in a pan.  When melted set aside.
2. Heat some water in bottom section of the double boiler until the water is barely simmering.  You do not want to over heat and cook your eggs.
3. In the sauce pan of the double boiler beat egg yolks until thick and sticky.  About a minute.
4. Add the water and lemon juice to eggs and beat for about a half minute.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of cold butter but do not whisk.
6. Place the sauce pan on the simmering water and whisk until eggs become smooth and creamy and the tablespoon of cold butter is melted.  This will only take about 2 minutes.  Watch the eggs closely.  If they start to cook to fast put the pan in cold water to cool the eggs down.  You do not want scrambled egg yolks!
7. Remove mixture from the heat and add the other 1 tablespoon of cold butter and whisk until melted.  This will cool down the egg and stop the cooking process.
8. VERY slowly add the melted butter to the eggs.   Omit the milky residue of the butter if possible.

** Using the maximum amount of butter will make it hard for the butter to hold in the sauce.  Some people us the lesser amount of butter and add the rest before serving.  If you choose that method just make sure the amount of butter you are adding in soften or tepid.

We personally think you should eat it on everything. :)

Honing steel is a sharpening tool used to align the small teeth on a blade and will keep the knife sharper for longer.

Horseradish is a root vegetable condiment that has a sharp spicy flavor.

Horseradsih, 
not too pretty, but oh what a lovely flavor!

Hummus is a dip made of pureed chickpeas flavored with tahini, and often garlic and lemon.

Jalapeno is a very hot green chili pepper.

Jalapeno Peppers

Julienne is to cut in thin even strips much the same as a matchstick.

Julienne cut vegetables

Jus is light sauce or juice.

Kabobs are skewers of grilled meat or vegetables or fruit.

Kabobs

Kalamata olives are large deep purple Greek olives.

Kalamata olives...
you'll never go back to the canned stuff.

Knead is to work dough in a vigorous manner thus mixing it evenly and well.

So that's today's lesson.  We hope that you not only use your new words skills, but will go out and try different and tasty things that are new to you.  

Be bold and try something new....it's good for you!