A good many of us foodies missed the little box or button or
whatever it was that allowed us to categorize our posts this month as culinary.
Bummer! Makes it harder for me to find new blogs to follow and harder for them
to find me. Next year!
Now that we’re a few days into these posts, are there
cooking terms/foods/techniques you wonder about? Do you have your own A-Z list
of confusing words? List them in the Comments section below, and I will give
you an answer on the appropriate letter day. Now, for today, C is for …
C is for Chiffonade
Chiffonade (French
for “little ribbons”) is a technique for chopping green, leafy herbs and veggies
into long, thin strips. I take a stack of basil or spinach leaves, roll them
tightly together, and slice them into thin strips with a sharp knife crosswise.
There is a kitchen gadget (which of course I had to buy) you
can roll over herbs to chiffonade
them, but I have found that harder to use. The gadget takes longer than the
rolling/slicing, and you sometimes end up with mashed herbs or veggies instead
of separate strips. Or maybe it is my ineptitude. Whatever, I now chiffonade
with my knife.
Interestingly, the chiffonade
technique has also been applied to crepes or even thin omelets. But, it is not
appropriate to chiffonade herbs with
small, irregular leaves (like parsley).
C is for Cut In
You’re getting ready to make piecrust and the recipe says to
“cut in” the shortening. Cut in is the technique for keeping
that piecrust flaky instead of tough.
There are right and wrong ways to cut in shortening however.
First, the shortening must be chilled
but not cold. You should be able to mold it like playdough.
Second, cut the
shortening into large chunks and add all at once to the dry ingredients. You
can either cut in with a pastry
blender (with all its sharp edges) or just use your hands to get the flour
mixture loose and crumbly looking. The pieces of shortening will vary in size,
and that’s the way you want it.
Do not overwork the dough (the biggest mistake people make
when cutting in).
