bard   To tie some type of fat (bacon) around what you are cooking to prevent it from drying out while roasting. Often used with fowl or extremely lean meats, barding bastes the meat while it is cooking, thus keeping it moist.

baste  To spoon, brush, or squirt a liquid ( meat drippings, stock, barbecue sauce, melted butter) on food while it cooks to prevent drying out and to add flavour.

braise   (brayz)  a cooking method where meat or vegetables are first browned in butter and/or oil, then cooked in a covered pot in a small about of cooking liquid at low heat for a long period of time. This slow cooking process both tenderises the food by breaking down their fibres and creates a full flavoured dish.

bouquet garni  a little bundle of herbs, tied together or placed together in in a piece of cheesecloth, used to enhance the flavour of a soup or stew.
The classic combination of herbs is parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, but I like to add different herbs that I think will go with dish.

cannellini bean   (kan-eh-LEE-nee) A large white Italian kidney bean that's great in soups and stews.

canola oil   The market name for rapeseed. As the most popular oil in Canada, the name was changed to protect the innocent.
Now popular in the US because it only contains about 6% of saturated fat. Also it contains more monosaturated fat than any oil other than olive oil as well as Omega-3 fatty acids  Thought to help lower cholesterol. It doesn't have much of a taste and should be used for cooking (high smoking point) and salad dressings.

cole slaw    Coming from the Dutch term, koolsla, which means "cool cabbage"
It is a salad made with shredded cabbage mixed with mayonnaise as well as a variety of other ingredients.

cut in  When a solid fat such as butter is mixed with a dry ingredient like flour until they form into small particles.
I would use a food processor fitted with a metal blade and just pulse it. You can also use your trusty fingers to do the job.

demi-glace  ( dem-ee-glahs)  A rich brown sauce made from reduced veal and beef stock that is used to make classic sauces.
This is the stuff that gives those sauces you are served at fancy restaurants that velvety texture and sheen..

dredge  When you lightly coat food to be pan fried or sautéed typically with flour, cornmeal, or breadcrumbs.

fondue     From the French word for "melt"
The term could refer to food cooked in a communal pot at the table or to finely chopped veggies that have been slowly cooked to a pulp and used as a garnish.

glace   a stock that has been reduced to a syrupy consistency and used to add flavour and colour to a sauce.

gremolada   (greh moh Lah dah) an Italian garnish consisting of minced garlic, parsley, lemon rind, and sometimes shredded basil.
It is most often used in garnishing osso buco.

knead  To mix and work dough into a pliable mass either manually or with a mixer/food processor. When done by hand, you press the dough with the heels of your hands, fold in half, give a quarter turn, and repeat until smooth and elastic.

mesclun  (mehs-kluhn)   A combination of fancy, young salad greens once hard to find but now popular and available prewashed in the produce section.
The mix usually contains a combination of arugula, dandelion, frisee, mizuma, oak leaf, radicchio and sorrel.

meuniére   (muhn-yair)     French for "miller's wife" and refers to the cooking technique used.
In this case, fish is seasoned with salt and pepper and then dredged with flour and sautéed in butter.

mirepoix   (mihr-pwah)  a mixture of diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs that has been sautéed in butter or oil and used to season soups and stews.
Sometimes mirepoix will contain diced prosciutto or ham to enhance flavour.

mise en place (meez ahn plahs)   This technique is IMPORTANT 
It's a French term for having all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before starting you start cooking. That means everything is cleaned, peeled, chopped, diced.
It should be all measured out, whatever's necessary to get the ingredients ready prior to preparing your dish. Many of us, me included, start cooking and prepping at the same time. A big NO NO. Try to get into the habit of mise en place.

nap   To completely cover food with a light coating of sauce so that it forms a thin, even layer.

Ossobuco  (aw-soh boo-koh)  in Italian means bone with a hole and that's where this dish derives it's name.
The hole is filled with marrow and some consider it a delicacy while others shy away from it. This Italian dish is made with gelatinous veal shanks that are braised with fresh vegetables and rich stock. This dish comes from Milan in Italy's northern region of Lombardy. The area is known for dairy farming with veal being a natural by-product. Ossobuco is simple and delicious meal that is often served with Gremolada.

pesto  (peh stoh)  An uncooked sauce that can also be used as condiment from Genoa, Italy and usually contains fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil although I've made it with arugula, sun dried tomatoes, and cilantro. I make mine with a food processor, but it is often made by hand with a mortar and pestle.

pine nut  also called pignoli or Italian nut, pine nuts come from, you guessed it, pine trees. The nut is extracted from the cone usually with heat and is highly labour intensive thus expensive. they have a high fat content and should be stored in airtight containers in your refrigerator.
They have a wonderful flavour especially when toasted.

pistou  (pees-too)  the French version of Italy's pesto without the pine nuts or parsley.

pomme de terre  Translated from French, it means "apple of the earth", but refers to the potato. Usually seen as pommmes frites or French Fries.

pope's nose   The stubby tail that protrudes from dressed chicken, turkey, and other fowl.

puree   Any food that is mashed to a thick, smooth consistency. puree v. the action of mashing a food until it has a thick, smooth consistency usually done by a blender or food processor.

rennet    a natural enzyme obtained from the stomach of young cows that is used to curdle milk when making cheese.

roux   A mixture of flour and fat that is cooked over low heat and used to thicken soups and sauces. There are three types of roux...white, blonde, and brown.
White and blonde roux are both made with butter and used in cream sauces while brown roux can be made with either butter or the drippings from what you are cooking and is used for darker soups and sauces.

sachet   A sachet is a small bag made out of cloth or cheesecloth that is filled with various herbs and spices and used to add flavour to soup, stews, stocks and sauces. The combination of herbs and spices can vary depending on what you are cooking but typically include bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley and thyme.
Fresh herbs and spices are better but dried will do nicely if you don't have access to fresh. You can use kitchen string to tie the bundle together or even tie the four corners to themselves. I have even seen these nifty disposable cloth bags you can buy at kitchen supply stores.

saffron   An extremely expensive yellow-orange spice made from the stigmas of purple crocus. Think about this, each crocus produces only three stigmas which are hand picked and dried. It takes 14,000 of these tiny stigmas to produce an ounce of saffron. When buying choose the whole threads over the powder form and store in an air tight container in a cool dark place . Saffron is used for flavouring but was once used for medicinal purposes as well as dying clothes

sauté   is cooking food quickly in the right amount of oil and/or butter over high heat.

score  To make shallow cuts into the surface of foods such as fish, meat, or chicken breasts to aid in the absorption of a marinade, to help tenderise, and/or to decorate.

simmer   To cook food in liquid gently over low heat. You should see tiny bubbles just breaking the surface of the liquid.

smoking point   The point when a fat such as butter or oil smokes and lets off an acrid odour. Not good since this odour can get into what you are cooking and give it a bad flavour.    Butter smokes at 170°   vegetable oil at 210°   lard at 175°   olive oil at about 170°

sweat   To cook slowly over low heat in butter, usually covered, without browning.

tapenade   (ta pen AHD  ) a thick paste made from capers, anchovies, olives, olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings.
This delicious condiment originated in France's Provence region.

worcestershire sauce   Developed in India by the British, this dark, spicy sauce got its name from the city where it was first bottled  ~Worcester, England.
Used to season meats, gravies, and soups, the recipe includes soy sauce, onions, molasses, lime, anchovies, vinegar, garlic, tamarind, as well as other spices.